Nerdist’s Amy Ratcliffe visits the set of The Wheel of Time to sit down with directors Thomas Napper and Sanaa Hamri to discuss the show’s second season, the unlikely friendships forming between characters, and the threat of the Forsaken in today’s Nerdist Now!

*No writers or actors were present for this set visit.

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The Wheel of Time stars Rosamund Pike (Moiraine Damodred), Josha Stradowski (Rand al’Thor), Daniel Henney (Lan Mandragoran), Ceara Coveney (Elayne Trakand), Marcus Rutherford (Perrin Aybara), and Dónal Finn (Mat Cauthon) sit down with Nerdist’s Dan Casey to talk about the show’s new season, their love of the fandom, where we find these characters in season 2, and more on today’s episode of Nerdist Now!

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While the third season of The Mandalorian ended on a surprisingly happy note with most of its major storylines wrapped up, there are still some mysteries in need of answers. From the other possible spy still in hiding to the uncertain fate of Moff Gideon and his potential clones, Dan is breaking down the biggest unanswered questions from the Mandalorian season finale and what they could mean for the future of the show and the galaxy far, far away on today’s episode of Nerdist News!

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The first season of The Last of Us came to a bloody and heartbreaking end as Joel and Ellie finally reach the Firefly base. However, things aren’t as they seem as Joel is forced to make a difficult choice that will effect not only his relationship with Ellie, but the fate of humanity. Hector heads out of the QZ one last time to break down The Last of Us season finale and Joel’s shocking decision on today’s episode of Nerdist News!

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Carnival Row stars Orlando Bloom (Rycroft Philostrate) and Cara Delevingne
(Vignette Stonemoss) sit down with Nerdist’s Michael Walsh to discuss the show’s epic final season on today’s Nerdist Now.

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THE LEGEND OF VOX MACHINA stars Marisha Ray (Keyleth), Sam Riegel (Scanlan Shorthalt), and Liam O’Brien (Vex’ahlia “Vex” Vessar) sit down with Nerdist’s Dan Casey to talk about season 2, dragons, and Matt Mercer’s many cameos on today’s episode of Nerdist Now!

Watch the original adventures of Vox Machina in Critical Role’s Campaign 1: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7atuZxmT954bCkC062rKwXTvJtcqFB8i

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Black History Month is a glorious celebration of the infinite ways that Black people have influenced global culture for centuries. Our innovative and diverse cuisines, music, fashion, hairstyles, art, entertainment, and colloquialisms are often appropriated and imitated by people who value our culture more than our actual lives. But, they can and will never be able to duplicate it.

We are the progenitors of trends and lasting precedents, the barrier breakers, the peacemakers, and when we need to be, the hell raisers to make things happen. The literal chains of Black American’s ancestors begat the enduring weight of systemic racism, prejudice, and oppression on their descendants, yet we continue to rise and thrive as a phenomenal collective. This goes double for Black women; we have to navigate a patriarchal and misogynistic world and are undoubtedly the foundation of Black life and culture. Our contributions, both seen and unseen, to our families, communities, and the entire world, deserve more recognition.

Black Girls Rock/GIPHY

Yes, everyone knows that Harriet freed the bodies and minds of enslaved people. School curriculums love to throw in a quick paragraph about Rosa’s intentional stand against injustice. And we recently witnessed Kamala Harris make modern history as the Vice President of the United States of America.  But there are countless Black women whose names and stories aren’t as widely known but deserve honor, respect, and reverence.

Here are a few trailblazing Black women you need to know.

Alice Coachman (1923-2014)

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Black excellence in sports is nothing new. Alice Coachman laid the foundation for Black women to dominate in track and field as the first Black woman to win an Olympic goal medal in 1948. Coachman bested her opponents in the high jump, an incredible feat considering she grew up in Albany, GA where Black people couldn’t access training facilities. Her rise to fame was during a time when society largely frowned upon women in sports.

Coachman’s win later led to her being the first Black woman to become a Coca-Cola spokesperson, which put her on billboards alongside Jesse Owens. She is in the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame (1996), USA Track and Field Hall of Fame (1975), and the United States Olympic Hall of Fame (2004). Alice Coachman’s accomplishment opened doors for future track legends like Flo Jo, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and Allyson Felix.

Jane Bolin (1908-2007)

Jane Bolin’s name is synonymous with firsts in the legal arena. She’s the first Black woman to graduate Yale Law School, join the New York City Bar Association and the NYC Law Department, and become a judge in the United States. Bolin took office in 1939 on the New York City Domestic Relations Court and remained there for 40 years until her retirement.

She worked tirelessly for the rights of children and women as a legal advisor to the National Council of Negro Women. She often spoke about her experiences as the minority throughout her higher education and professional experience. But, Bolin also got to see strides of change throughout her lifetime as she made the impossible a reality for Black women.

Laura Bowman (1881-1957)

Early horror films didn’t offer many opportunities for Black characters to exist outside of a racist and problematic white gaze. But, Son of Ingagi (1940) is a groundbreaking dissention as the first sci-fi horror film with an all-Black cast. Stage and film actress Laura Bowman portrays Dr. Jackson, a scientist who is studying a monster and coming up with a potion to benefit humanity. Bowman’s role as an intelligent and curious Black woman challenged stereotypes and depicted Blackness in an authentic way.

The 2019 documentary Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror highlighted Dr. Jackson as an important character in Black horror history. Outside of this film, Bowman’s career includes a string of leading roles in the 1930s and 1940s films including Ten Minutes to Live and Murder in Harlem. Much of her work is directed by Oscar Micheaux, an extremely successful Black filmmaker. Achievement: The Life of Laura Bowman further details the entertainer’s life up until her death in 1957.

Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler (1831-1895)

In 1864, Rebecca Lee Crumpler, M.D. defied odds by becoming the first Black woman doctor of medicine. To put this in perspective, this is only two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by then-President Abraham Lincoln. There were still enslaved people in America, many of whom were subjects of gruesome medical experiments and tests to which they could not consent because they were seen as property.

Shortly after the Civil War’s end, Crumpler, a free born woman, went to Richmond, VA to provide medical care for formerly enslaved people. She often faced discrimination from her colleagues and pharmacies but kept her focus on helping women and children. She later moved back to Boston and treated patients with little focus on their ability to pay. In 2019, Virginia governor Ralph Northam made March 30 Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler Day.

Dr. Gladys West (1930 -)

The next time you use GPS, make sure you thank Dr. West. The mathematician and Virginia native‘s calculations and programming helped to make a geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth’s shape, which is the foundation of the GPS. In 1956, she was hired by the Naval Proving Ground (now Naval Surface Warfare Center) to analyze satellite data, doing the calculations by hand until she got into computer programming.

She later joined the Sesat project as a project manager, using satellite data to create a detailed model of Earth. This years-long research later led to the development of the GPS. Like Dr. Katherine Johnson, this hidden figure’s story only came to light in recent years with a 2018 Associated Press profile leading to an induction into the Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame. Interestingly, Dr. West prefers to use a map and calculate her own way to her destination instead of using a GPS.

Dianne Durham (1968-2021)

Dianne Durham paved the way for Dominique Dawes, Gabby Douglas, and Simone Biles as the first Black girl to win a USA Gymnastics national championship in 1983. She began gymnastics training at age 3, eventually leaving her Indiana hometown to start training in Houston.

After her 1983 win, Durham began to prepare for the 1984 Summer Olympics but had to pull out due to an injury. Unfortunately, she later learned that she wouldn’t have qualified due to missing an important trial competition. Durham left the sport the following year, but her impact still resonates today. Her story made national news with her passing on February 4, 2021.

Evelyn Preer (1896-1932)

Many people know about glamourous stars like Eartha Kitt and Dorothy Dandridge. But, Evelyn Preer was a star in the Black community decades before their rise to fame. Preer’s vaudeville performances led to filmmaker Oscar Micheaux casting her in his first film The Homesteader in 1919. The duo would team up for 9 more films, all of which fought against Hollywood’s portrayals of Black people.

Preer became known as “The First Lady of Screen” in Black communities as she transitioned from silent films to “talking pictures” while continuing to act on stage. She appeared in a few Paramount films, including The Framing of the Shrew, and refused to play any role that felt demeaning. Her untimely death at 26 from pneumonia brought thousands of people together to mourn and celebrate her accomplishments.

Sylvia Robinson (1936-2011)

The first major singles in hip-hop history may be from male artists but Sylvia Robinson was behind the scenes. The established singer and musician founded Sugar Hill Records alongside her husband in the 1970s. She helped to write and produce the Sugar Hill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight,” which laid a foundation for modern-day rap music.

Robinson also lent those same talents to “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Sugar Hill Records disbanded in 1985 but Robinson’s lasting touch left its mark. All hail The Mother of Hip-Hop.

Misa Hylton

Hip-hop’s ascent from the streets of Harlem to a dominant genre across the globe is incredible; however, its impact goes beyond music. Rap artist’s fashion game continues to define what’s new and next with a brilliant mashup of glam and casual wear. A major force in the cultivation of this fusion is Misa Hylton, a stylist, life coach, and fashion designer. Hylton came to rise during early ’90s after crafting R&B group Jodeci’s trademark style of combat boots, hoodies, and baggy clothes to capture their soul singing with a dash of street personas. She later made world-stopping looks for Lil Kim, stretching her designing skills to develop the rapper’s trademark style.

Her work coincides with hip-hop’s rise to dominance, something that certainly isn’t coincidental. An artist’s look matters and those who catch eyes often fly high. Hylton’s Chyna Doll Enterprises made iconic looks for Aaliyah, Q-Tip, Dru Hill, and Missy Elliott among others. The mainstream fashion world frequently dismissed her designs, calling them “ghetto” until they began to emulate her style.

Hylton helped to set the standard for how future rap stars would present themselves to the world. And, she’s far from being done with recent designs in Beyonce and Jay-Z’s “Apes**t” video and western wear for Megan Thee Stallion. She’s just as legendary as anyone who steps in front of the mic.

Maria P. Williams (1866-1932)

Blackness in cinema has a complex history in America. In film’s early years, Black people were either absent altogether or portrayed as harmful stereotypes by white actors in blackface. But, Maria P. Williams set a new precedent in 1923 with The Flames of Wrath.

The activist and filmmaker was the first Black woman to write, act in, distribute, and produce a film. The Kansas City, MO native was also the assistant manager, secretary, and treasurer of The Western Film Producing Company and Booking Exchange. Unfortunately, there’s not much more information about her life; however, she set a new standard for who could develop and make films.

Ida Grey Hampton

Racism and exclusionary practices have created barriers for all Black women, including those who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. Gallaudet University, the only liberal arts college specifically for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students, was founded back in 1864 with only white Deaf men in mind. It would take nearly 100 years for Ida Grey Hampton to be the first Black Deaf woman graduate in 1957. (Gallaudet did not admit Black Deaf students until 1950.)

Hampton earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Education; she went on to teach at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind before later earning a Master’s Degree in Special Education. She later worked in the University of North Florida’s Multi-Handicapped Department, eventually retiring in 1989. Black History is often framed through a very specific Black experience but Black Deaf people’s contributions to the culture are just as vital and transformative.

Crystal LaBeija

FX’s groundbreaking series Pose is a love letter to the world of ‘80s and ‘90s NYC ball culture. During this time, LGBTQ people of color would participate in balls and walk in several categories for trophies, prizes, and a taste of praise and glory. They were celebrations of extreme talent and, as Pose’s Blanca puts it, “gatherings of people who are not welcome to gather anywhere else.” The idea of balls had been around for a while but forming house collectives came from the House of LaBeija. Its founder and first mother Crystal LaBeija often faced discrimination while competing in drag competitions during the 60s and 70s. A specific instance of bias is documented in The Queen (1968) with LaBeija speaking passionately about her opponent in a recent competition.

LaBeija grew tired of this system and worked with another queen, Lottie, to start a ball for Black queens. The event was promoted as the first annual House of LaBeija ball and set the standard for having houses, a collection of found family who live together and compete in balls as a unit. They were typically comprised of LGBTQ youth who were discarded by family for being their authentic selves and (slightly) older house mothers and fathers who took them in. Ball culture continues to influence society with dance styles like voguing and phrases like “shade” and “reading” in mainstream media. The House of LaBeija still exists and Crystal LaBeija is an often-quoted legend.

Nakia Smith

Nakia Smith is making history right before our eyes on social media. Smith, a Black Deaf woman, educates her followers about Black American Sign Language (BASL). She’s in the fourth generation of a five generation deaf family with grandparents who learned the language out of necessity. Black Deaf people created BASL in the 1800s who were not able to go to segregated deaf schools.

BASL differs from ASL with other signs for certain words and more use of both hands and vernacular within Black communities. Smith, who also uses ASL, shows people how to sign certain phrases and gives candid advice about respectful interaction with Deaf and Hard of Hearing people. Her videos span far beyond entertainment; its vital work to preserve a language and to expand everyone’s knowledge about Black culture through a modern medium.

Joyce Ardell Jackson (1947-2013)

Joyce Ardell Jackson’s activism and social work helped craft the blueprint for the Americans with Disabilities Act. Jackson developed rheumatoid arthritis as a child and went through dozens of surgeries in her lifetime. During her employment at the Center for Independent Living, she attended an April 1977 disability rights sit-in at the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in San Francisco.

She was one of the activists who went to Washington D.C. to meet with the Carter administration to implement section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act. This section bans discrimination against people with disabilities and requires agencies and programs that get federal funding to have proper accommodations for all employees. This later led to the Americans with Disabilities Act. Jackson also served on the board of the American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities and worked as a disability counselor for non-profit organizations.

Of course, this list barely cracks the surface of great Black women who have made (and continue to make) history. There are so many whose names and stories we may never know. They may not have made local or international news for lofty accomplishments. But, these trailblazers are just a sample of the brilliance, creativity, heart, and determination that defines Black womanhood.

Originally published February 11, 2021.

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The Witcher: Blood Origin star Mirren Mack (Merwyn) and showrunners Lauren Hissrich and Declan de Barra sit down with Nerdist’s Michael Walsh (@burgermike) to discuss the new season, the history of elves in the Witcher universe, and the importance of telling this origin story on today’s episode of Nerdist Now!

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The cast of The Witcher: Blood Origin (Joey Batey, Larry Henry, Zach Wyatt, Lizze Annis) introduce us to their characters, the history of The Witcher, what it was like exploring Continent, and maybe a hint or two as to what Jaskier is doing in this series as well?

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Paper Girls stars Camryn Jones (Tiffany Quilkin), Sofia Rosinsky (Mac Coyle), Riley Lai Nelet (Erin Tieng) and Fina Strazza (KJ Brandman) sit down with Maude Garrett to discuss what audiences can expect from the new Prime Video series, meeting each other on set for the first time, which actress is most like their character, and what time period they would want to travel to on today’s episode of Nerdist Now!

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Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when the Comic-Con nation attacked. While rumors speculated that the first of the recently announced animated features from Avatar Studios would follow Kyoshi, fans were treated to a surprise update during the studio’s SDCC panel on Friday. Hold onto your cabbages Avatar fans because Aang and his friends are back, and Maude Garrett has all the details on today’s episode of Nerdist News!

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The most not-safe-for-work episode of the most not-safe-for-work TV show is finally here. This latest episode of The Boys brought the highly anticipated adaptation of the “Herogasm” storyline from the comics. Filled with explicit content, easter eggs, and major character moments, Dan dives in to break down everything you might have missed in Herogasm on today’s episode of Nerdist News!

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The Boys are not only back in town, they’re also out of town in episode four. The latest episode saw several storylines come to a boiling point, culminating in a shocking ending that will have major ramifications for the rest of the season. Dan breaks it all down on today’s episode of Nerdist News!

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Academy Award-winning actor Troy Kotsur sits down with Nerdist’s Melissa Miller to talk about how he brought sign language to the Star Wars universe. From being brought on as a consultant to being cast as a Tusken Raider, Troy discusses the challenges and process of developing a unique language to fit the galaxy far, far away on today’s episode of Nerdist Now.

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I’d never claim to be among Stephen Sondheim‘s most dedicated fans. I can’t recite his entire list of shows by memory. Nor do I know the lyrics to most of his scores. And yet, like countless others whose lives he touched with his work, his passing at 91 has hit me hard. Because Stephen Sondheim gave me something that is never far from my heart: his humanity and empathy. Both of which I hold onto when the wood gets deep and dark.

My personal connection with Sondheim started as so many others who will never actually stand on a Broadway stage did. I performed in one of his musicals. As a high school senior who could just barely sing enough to pull off the part, I played the Baker alongside my friends in Into the Woods. It’s still this drama club geek‘s favorite role and production ever. At the time, it was the most ambitious show our group had ever attempted. It was also a huge success. And unlike other characters whose lines left my brain the second a production closed, I’d only need a couple of rehearsals searching for a cow as milk as white to be ready for opening night.

As a theater fan, I love Into the Woods. I would even if I had never starred in it. But because I did, I love the Baker like he’s real. Both for who he is—a flawed, overmatched-but-trying, good person—and for the memories he gave me. No wonder my time playing him still feels so close. If I close my eyes, I can transport back to that stage, when life was simple in a way I couldn’t appreciate at the time. It’s as though it was only yesterday my friends and I demanded our musical director let us do “Your Fault” again and again. And again.

It’s no exaggeration to say every moment of putting on that show will forever be special to me. The kind of experience that fills you with pure, uncorrupted joy whenever you call on it. Which for me is often, but for reasons that had nothing to do with our production.

Just as the optimism and hope of Into the Woods‘ first act give way to the pain and loss of the second, my connection with Stephen Sondheim changed too. He was right, of course. There are no such things as happy endings. There are always wolves, there are always spells, there are always beans, or a giant. And the most fearful truth, the one that can make you lose the path, is that sometimes people leave you halfway through the wood. For me, it was my baby sister. Then a few years later, my best friend.

Grief, the kind that closes in on you with a darkness so deep you can never even imagine finding light again, let alone feeling its warmth, is lonely. It surrounds you and cuts you off from the world and others. It’s also accompanied by a bottomless well of pain that can make even the most kind-hearted Baker want to leave everyone behind. For a long time, you wake up not wanting the hurt to end. You wake hoping to have no more feelings, period. To love means to be vulnerable to loss. Far better would be running away. Even if you run to nothingness. That will do it, you think.

However, as Sondheim wrote in that song I love so much, “The farther you run, the more you feel undefined.” So you stay. Until one day, without knowing how or why, a small glimmer of light breaks through. And once you finally see that light, you decide to take a single step back to the path. “Into the woods, you go again,” even though you now know the way is dark, the light is dim.

I can’t tell you how many times Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics from Into the Woods have played in my head over the last ten years since I said goodbye to my sister. I often find myself singing “No One is Alone” when thinking about my friend who also left too soon. Those words comfort me. Not because they make the pain go away, but because they acknowledge the pain. They remind me I am not alone with mine. The wood isn’t quite so dark when you know that others are also out there.

That’s why I love Stephen Sondheim. For his empathy. For his understanding of what it means to live, to love, to lose, to hurt. Broadway is full of great songs you’ll never remember when you leave. But Sondheim gave the world songs that speak to us long after the curtain closes. His work means so much to so many because their impact goes beyond instruments. It’s why his music and his memory will survive long after him.

I’m just one of the many people who once stood on a stage and sang Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics. If that had been the end of my relationship with him, it would be an important one in my life. But the reason his death hurts is because he gave me something to take with me on my own path through the wood when the light is hardest to see. Whenever I need someone to understand and offer a way forward, I quietly sing to myself that no one is alone. Stephen Sondheim gave me that and will continue even though he is gone. He will always be on my side.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike, and also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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“Double, double, toil and trouble.” The famous adage for Macbeth is right on the money. As one high-profile version of Macbeth finds its way to audiences, a cinematic rendition starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand entitled The Tragedy of Macbeth, a second one emerges. Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga will star in Macbeth on Broadway.

In news we first saw on Variety, Craig and Negga are set to play Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Craig has previously performed on Broadway. He starred  in 2013’s Betrayal. Negga, meanwhile, will be making her Broadway debut. However, she is no stranger to the stage or Shakespeare. Negga has performed previously as Hamlet. Craig also recently acted in Othello alongside David Oyelowo.

Greg Williams 

Additionally, Broadway’s Macbeth has found its director in Sam Gold. And Bond-veteran Barbara Broccoli will produce the play, reuniting again with Craig.

She shares in a statement:

Daniel is not only a great film actor but a magnificent theatre actor as well. I am thrilled that he will be supporting the return of Broadway playing this iconic role with the exquisitely talented Ruth Negga making her Broadway debut and under the expert direction of Sam Gold.

It sounds like this team will deliver incredible results. The production promises:

A tale of malice, matrimony and murder, Macbeth tells the story of one couple’s obsession with power—and their guilt after doing the unthinkable. For 15 weeks only, this thrilling new production will capture the passion and ferocity of Shakespeare’s most haunting text like never before.

Macbeth has not yet announced any additional casting.

Broadway’s Macbeth begins performances on March 29, 2022. The play will run for fifteen weeks until July 10, 2022. Tickets for the general public go on sale on October 8th.

With so many renditions of the Bard, we enjoy seeing how each differentiates itself. We can’t wait for Craig and Negga’s take on this eerie text.

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The first trailer for The Matrix Resurrections is here and it really takes us back to how we felt going into the first movie in 1999. And that got us thinking about all the great movies that inspired the Wachowski Sisters to make The Matrix in the first place. On today’s Nerdist Now, we look at some deep-cut movies and shows that helped make The Matrix the classic that it is.

Watch The Matrix Resurrections trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK5zAdgd2Ug

Here’s everything you missed in The Matrix Resurrections trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S922B4JQD3s

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It seems practically every major film gets a Broadway musical eventually. For every long-running success story like Hairspray, there’s a dozen more that have fallen into the dustbins of history. 9 to 5, Saturday Night Fever, Beetlejuice. Heck, even Silence of the Lambs has a musical. And yet somehow, Steven Spielberg’s iconic breakthrough film Jaws wasn’t one of them. Until now, that is.

According to Deadline, a musical based on the first summer blockbuster has set its premiere in Seattle next May. Only it’s not called Jaws! The Musical. It’s called Bruce, named for the model shark that caused much drama for the film’s production. So this won’t be a musical retelling of the film. And sadly, no epic number for “Show Me the Way to Go Home.” Instead, it’s based on Jaws screenwriter Carl Gottlieb’s 1975 memoir The Jaws Log, which told the story of the film’s troubled production. It was one of the first movie behind-the-scenes bestsellers.

Universal Pictures

Richard Oberacker is composing the music, with book and lyrics by Oberacker and Robert Taylor. The duo previously collaborated on the musical Bandstand. Bruce tells the story of a young and unknown director named Steven Spielberg. You might have heard of him. Back in 1974, he could barely keep his head above water (so to speak) filming the much-anticipated adaptation of the novel Jaws. Luckily, it all worked out. You can read the official description for the upcoming show right here:

“While invading a sleepy fishing island off Cape Cod to shoot on the open ocean, he [Spielberg] faced several challenges including weather, water, hostile locals, an exploding budget, endless delays, and a highly dysfunctional mechanical star named Bruce. All in order to bring his vision to life in what proved to be one of the biggest success stories in film history.” That description actually has us pretty sold. At least it’s not the Mayor singing about keeping the beaches open.

Universal Pictures

Bruce starts previews at Seattle Rep’s Bagley Wright Theater on May 27, 2022. It currently has an opening night set for June 1 of next year. The engagement will run through June 26, 2022. After that, reviews and ticket sales will determine if Bruce will swim across the country to the Great White Way. Or if it ends up another notorious musical flop like Carrie: The Musical. Now, when is someone brave going to attempt The Exorcist musical? That one has to be next, right?

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Toss on the Tony Hawk Pro Skater soundtrack because skateboarding has hit the Olympics. The Tokyo games marks the first time skateboarding is an Olympic sport and it’s already making a major splash. Over the weekend the first of two skateboarding events occurred, with Japan cleaning up golds in both the men’s and women’s street. And the reigning gold medalist in women’s street skateboarding is only 13. (Yep, so definitely younger than both Tony Hawk Pro Skater games.)

Momiji Nishiya picked up the gold metal after a stunning run of tricks.  Brazil’s Rayssa Leal, who is also just 13, walked away with silver. Funa Nakayama, also of Japan, rounded out the podium with silver. With a pair of 13-year-olds and an 18-year-old standing atop the podium, women’s skateboarding has an incredibly bright future and we can only hope to see them in the Olympic games to come. On the men’s side of things, Yuto Horigome picked up gold in street skateboarding with Brazil’s Kelvin Hoefler picking up silver and American Jagger Eaton rounding things out with bronze.

Tony Hawk, one of the world’s most prolific skateboarders isn’t on-hand to compete at the games. But he is commentating for NBC and in addition to giving a preview of the events to come, he also gave the skate course a little test run. And I have to say, he earns a gold in my heart.

During the 2016 Rio games, the International Olympic Committee’s executive board voted on several events to include for the 2020 games. The events joining the usual staple events of volleyball, swimming, and gymnastics, are surfing, sport climbing, baseball, and softball. And, of course, the aforementioned skateboarding. Baseball and softball have had a testy relationship with the Olympics since their inclusion in 1992 and 1996, respectively. However both events were absent in 2012 and 2016, but the Tokyo 2020 committee successfully lobbied to get them back on the list for the current games.

NBC Sports

Skateboarding resumes with its second event, the women’s and men’s park, on August 3 and August 4, respectively. With skateboarding in the Olympics mix—hopefully for good—we need the IOC to see about in-line skating next. Let’s give my main man Brink and the Soul-Skaters a shot at Gold in 2024.

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In December of last year, the Cleveland Indians MLB team said it’d made the decision to change its name. “Indians,” the team felt, did not allow for a fan experience “where Native American children and their families [felt] valued” and fully seen. Now, with a name it hopes will unify the city, the team is going with Cleveland Guardians. Tom Hanks has lent his voice to announce the change.

Deadline reported on the team’s announcement, which serves as the culmination of a process that began in July 2020. To pick the best option, the Guardians organization generated potential names, but still allowed fans to give their input. In this video, for example, the MLB team asks fans to choose between names like “Buzzards” and “Warblers” as options.

The Guardians officially announced the change via a video on Twitter. In the video (above), we get glimpses of the city along with historical footage of the MLB team. Over the nostalgic video, Hanks notes that Cleveland is a city “built through generations of blue collars and the brightest scholars,” but adds that it must “move forward with change.” Hanks also says, “You see, it’s always been Cleveland that is the best part of our name. And now it is time to unite as one family, one community, to build the next era for this team, and this city, to keep watch and guard what makes this game the greatest.”

MLB / Cleveland Guardians 

As for the reaction to the name from the internet, it seems many people are happy the name is now not racist, but they also feel Guardians is perhaps a bit generic.  One person even cracked a Legends of the Hidden Temple joke.

Whatever one thinks of the name, it’s interesting to note that it comes from the city’s Hope Memorial Bridge. The art deco bridge is, as Baseball America reporter Teddy Cahill notes in a tweet, one of the “best pieces of Cleveland architecture” and history. It also reminds us of The Gates of Argonath from The Lord of the Rings, which is badass.

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Felippe Paiva

Five of the playwrights will make their Broadway debuts. According to Drew Shade, founder and creative director of Broadway Black, this is unprecedented. Shade hopes Broadway will continue to uplift Black voices. “It’s what we would like to see,” Shade tells NPR. “Especially after the racial reckoning we’ve had in this society over the past year, and more specifically in the theater industry. But we also have to be realistic about the placement of the shows. We have to be realistic about what this may mean for Black artists going forward.”

Despite this overdue good news, the shows will be facing an unknown post-pandemic audience. Shows by non-white writers/creators are always given incredibly high demands, and held to a much harsher standard than their white counterparts. It’s a double edged sword that playwright Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu knows her work, Pass Over, will be facing as the first to open. 

“We are the first show back; everybody’s looking at us,” Nwandu said. “People are looking at the August (Theatre), at Broadway: ‘What are you guys doing? How are you going to handle this moment?’ Our responsibility is to just meet that moment with as much authenticity, as much kindness, as much honesty and as much rigor to be truth-tellers.”

Here are the seven new shows written by Black playwrights that are set to open this year:

• Pass Over, written by Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu and directed by Danya Taymor.
• Chicken & Biscuits, written by Douglas Lyons and directed by Zhailon Levingston.
• Lackawanna Blues, written and directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson.
• Thoughts of a Colored Man, written by Keenan Scott II and directed by Steve H. Broadnax III. 
• Trouble in Mind, written by Alice Childress and directed by Charles Randolph-Wright.
• Clyde’s, written by Lynn Nottage and directed by Kate Whoriskey.
• Skeleton Crew, written by Dominique Morisseau and directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson.

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Nerdist’s Hector Navarro sits down with director Cate Shortland to discuss her vision for the film and the process of bringing Black Widow’s story to life.

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Did you know that the Statue of Liberty is a big sister? Maybe you did but I certainly did not know this. There is apparently a smaller replica of the famous symbol of American freedom in Paris. And now little Liberty is coming to the United States to pay her sister a visit for a few days.

According to Reuters, the Paris statue is setting sail on June 19 to make her journey towards Ellis Island in New York where our Lady Liberty resides. The matching statue is certainly smaller than ours but not that tiny. She’s a little over 9 feet tall and weighs 992 pounds compared to her 305-foot tall (from the base of the statue to its torch) sister. The statue will arrive on July 1 and spend a few days across from the original Liberty.

Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels

This means they will spend Independence Day together! Surely, it will be a sight to see for New Yorkers who celebrate the holiday. After July 5, little Liberty will make her way to the French ambassador’s home in Washington, DC. It will remain there until 2031. (There’s no word on where she will go next, if anywhere at all.) The statue is a gift from France to the US due to a positive relationship between the countries.

Interestingly, France is why we have a Statue of Liberty in the first place. The country gave the massive copper creation to the US as a friendship gift. It was designed by Gustave Eiffel, who is also responsible for the Eiffel Tower, and sent to the US in 1884. The Statue of Liberty finally got an inauguration ceremony and a home in 1886. And the statue gave countless people hope for freedom and a better future. That’s certainly something we all want and desire, no matter where we are from.

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There’s a new Captain America in town! Nerdist’s Hector Navarro sits down with The Falcon and Winter Soldier stars Wyatt Russell (“John Walker”) and Amy Aquino (“Dr. Christina Raynor”) to talk about what’s lurking beneath the surface of Steve Rogers’ replacement, that couples therapy scene, and more.

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Right now, there is a continuous increase of violent and deadly attacks against Asian American communities. There are several prominent instances of these sudden and abhorrent assaults being levied against elder Asian people, including 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee’s fatal assault in San Francisco, a 91-year-old man being violently shoved to the ground in Oakland’s Chinatown, and Noel Quintana’s brutal face slashing on a New York City subway, among many other incidents.

But, the hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) are getting exponentially worse and affecting people of all ages. In March 2021, six Asian women were murdered during a shooting rampage at three massage parlors in Atlanta. The culmination of these events have left many people even more fearful of leaving their homes, a decision that’s already difficult in the middle of a dire health crisis which heavily impacts low-income AAPI communities.

Racist rhetoric (buoyed by harmful stereotypes) surrounding COVID-19 certainly plays a role in this uptick of violence in the past year. The former POTUS calling the coronavirus the “Chinese virus” and “Kung Flu,” along with others pointing the blame of its worldwide ramifications towards Chinese people, has led to 3,795 reported discrimination incidents since March 2020; however, the United States bears a long and disdainful history of anti-Asian racism extending back to the 1800s (and likely prior) with Asian immigrants being the subjects of xenophobic “yellow peril” reports about their “uncleanliness” and “uncivilized nature.”

Over the years, harmful depictions of Asian people in media led to oppressive legislature (like the Chinese Exclusion Act) and racist language about their skin color and other phenotypical features became pervasive. Asian Americans have been in this dangerous, white supremacist fueled cycle from being seen as the “model minority” to help build America to a “foreign threat” whenever the US is in some sort of collective strife, with the most current being the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, reporting about the Atlanta shooting suspect’s alleged “sex addiction” further emphasizes the dehumanization and sexual fetishization of Asian women, whether their profession is tangentially tied to sex work or not.

The recent string of attacks have caused Daniel Dae Kim, Lewis Tan, Lulu Wang, Jeremy Lin, and other prominent Asian public figures to speak out about the targeted violence against their communities. The wake of the Atlanta shooting is sparking a wave of protests, social media conversations, and calls to action across America with people condemning verbal, physical, and social hatred towards Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Community organizations whose missions are to support, protect, and empower AAPI communities are also continuing to combat against the social and systemic barriers that threat their lives and security.

It is certainly a layered and complex situation that leaves many people wondering what they can do to help. There is no one specific and all-encompassing answer nor action to that question. Some have the ability and capacity to lend their support in a hands-on manner via volunteering, protesting, and community action.

Others are able to utilize their financial and social resources and donate towards and amplify organizations/individuals doing the vital work to uplift AAPI and provide others with a historical framework about their communities. Any of these actions must come with the understanding that allies are responsible for self-education, amplifying the work and voices of Asian people, and providing support without centering themselves.

The below list is a collection of organizations that can help you get directly involved, donate resources, or both in an effort to stand against Asian hate and push for positive change. Any further suggestions are welcome as this list is certainly not exhaustive.

Urgent Fundraisers

The Asian American Resource Foundation, Inc. has created a GoFundMe page to serve the immediate needs of the Atlanta shooting victims’ families. The families of Delaina Yaun, who lost her life in the Atlanta shooting, and Elcias Hernandez Ortiz, who was critically wounded during the same incident, have their own separate GoFundMe pages for funeral and recovery costs. Hyun Jung Grant‘s sons also has a verified GoFundMe to help them survive after their mother’s death. (At the time of this post, information about all the victims is still pending. Updates will be made accordingly.)

In addition, GoFundMe also has a Support the AAPI Community Relief Fund utilizing #StopAsianHate to provide funds to a list charities and grassroots organizations. The fundraising organization is compiling a centralized hub for all the Atlanta shooting victims and families GoFundMe pages to find them easier. You can also donate to the official GoFundMe for the families of Vicha Rantanapakdee and Noel Quintana to aid their continued need for support as well as the Asian American Advocacy Fund (additional details below.)

Organizations

Asian American Advocacy Fund

Founded: 2020
Based in: Norcross, GA

This grassroots 501(c)4 social welfare organization aims to advocate for the human rights of Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Native Hawaiians in Georgia. The fund’s policies include immigrant and racial justice platforms, fair districting and voting rights, and health and economic opportunities, among others. More information about donating and taking action can be found here.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta

Founded: 2010
Based in: Atlanta, GA

According to its website, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta’s is “the first and only nonprofit legal advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) in Georgia and the Southeast.” The organization focuses on policy advocacy, organizing & civic engagement, impact litigation, and legal services.  Find out more about their work, how to donate, and ways to volunteer.

Asian Mental Health Collective

Founded: 2019
Based in: Nationwide

This non-profit organization advocates for accessible mental health resources for Asian communities across the globe. The collective provides videos, information, and a database of Asian therapists for those in need. You can head to their website for additional details about their projects and how to donate.

Red Canary Song

Founded: 2017
Based In: Nationwide

Red Canary Song is a grassroots collective of Asian and migrant sex workers. The group provides grants, programming led by sex workers, educational content, and works with other resources to push for the decriminalization of sex work. Donations towards their efforts can be found on their website.

Stop AAPI Hate

Founded: 2020
Based In: San Francisco, CA

This reporting center began tracking incidents of hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, shunning, and child bullying against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States as a response to COVID-19 xenophobia. Stop AAPI Hate is a vocal and leading aggregator of hate incidents and also provides multilingual resources for those impacted by discrimination and violence. Donate directly to their ongoing effort here.

Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council 

Founded: 1975
Based in: Various Locations

A3PCON is a coalition of community based organization that advocate for the rights of Asian and Pacific Island Americans in the greater Los Angeles area. The council promotes collaboration and collective planning/action among its members. You can find incident report forms and other vital information, including how to help, directly on its webpage. 

National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum

Founded: 1996
Based in: Los Angeles, CA

The organization’s history page states it is the “only organization focused on building power with AAPI women and girls to influence critical decisions that affect our lives, our families and our communities.” NAPAWF focuses on a reproductive rights and health framework that extends to the overall well being of Asian American and Pacific Islander women and girls. Donate to their efforts and sign their ongoing petitions.

Heart of Dinner 

Founded: 2015
Based in: New York City, NY and surrounding areas

Heart of Dinner is a volunteer-run community effort that provides weekly meals to elderly Asian people. The food comes directly from Asian restaurant partners and Asian sponsor farms. You can lend a hand or provide financial support to founders (and life partners) Yin Chang and Moonlynn Tsai’s goal of providing 250,000 meals to senior communities.

DRUM (Desis Rising Up and Moving) 

Founded: 2000
Based in: New York City, NY

DRUM supports low-wage South Asian and Indo-Caribbean immigrant workers and youth in New York City. Its organizing model is based on outreach programs, leadership development, policy reform, alliances with diverse communities, and building democratic spaces for marginalized people to help shape public policy. Read DRUM’s informative blog, donate, and learn more about its many programs. 

Khmer Girls in Action

Founded: 1997
Based in: Long Beach, CA

Khmer Girls in Action helps to empower Southeast Asian girls and women by guiding them towards social justice organization. The organization aims for a progressive and sustainable Long Beach community that works for gender, racial and economic justice with Asian girls leading and benefitting from those initiatives. You can donate, volunteer, or shop the website to support.

Welcome to Chinatown

Founded: 2020
Based in: New York City, NY

This grassroots initiative supports Chinatown businesses and amplifies community voices in an effort to preserve NYC’s Chinatown neighborhood. The organization often highlights local businesses and supports residents while remaining respectful of their cultural practices. Shop the website and donate to aid their mission.

Oakland Chinatown Chamber Foundation 

Founded: 1985
Based in: Oakland, CA

The Oakland Chamber of Commerce advocates for business and families in Oakland’s Chinatown district. Find out more about the neighborhood and how you can support here.

Release MN8

Founded: 2016
Based in: Minnesota

Release MN8 is working to end Southeast Asian detention and deportation in America. The organization began in August 2016 as a response to eight Minnesotan Cambodian Americans, collectively known as the MN, being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Explore how you can get involved and make a difference.

Raksha

Founded: 1995
Based in: Atlanta, GA

This Georgia non-profit aims to promote stronger and healthier South Asian community through confidential support services, education, and advocacy. Raksha works towards healing, empowerment, and justice for survivors of violence. You can donate to specific causes and find out more about its work.

The Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO) 

Founded: 2012
Based in: San Francisco, CA

As its homepage states, AAPCHO promotes advocacy, collaboration, and leadership to improve the health of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. There are many ways to engage with this organization, including trainings and donations.

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Cú Chulainn’s story is part of the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, set during the last century B.C. Filled with legends and history interchangeably, the cycle greatly influenced European literature. The tale of Bricriu’s Feast, about a fun game of mutual beheading, inspired “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” More modern interpretations include Cú Chulainn as a character option in the gods vs. gods fighting game Smite.

Cú Chulainn was infamous for his ríastrad, a battle frenzy literally translated as “warp spasm.” While some accounts describe this fury as akin to that of Viking berserkers, most have turned him into a medieval Hulk, literally transforming into an unstoppable rage-monster. When he returned from battle in such a state, it was said to take an entire village to calm him back down again. (Whether they held his hand and whispered lullabies is unclear.)

Smite

Born Sétanta, Cú Chulainn’s childhood was very much of the “chosen one” variety. His birth involved a sneaky Gaelic god abandoning his baby on a Neolithic mound older than Stonehenge, and leading his mother there with magical birds and snowstorms. At only seven years old, Sétanta accidentally fulfilled a prophecy.

A druid priest proclaimed that anyone who took up arms that day would become legendary. And so young Sétanta ran off and killed a band of notorious marauders. But he acted too quickly, displaying the Thor-like arrogance that would come to define him. The prophecy said that he’d be legendary, yes, but also that his life would be cut tragically short.

Sétanta gained the name Cú Chulainn—“the Hound of Culann”—soon after. While playing with other boys, the king saw Sétanta’s athleticism and was impressed; he invited him to dinner at the house of Culann, the royal smith. When Sétanta arrived, however, Culann’s guard dog attacked him. He was forced to kill the animal to save his own life. Culann was wrecked over this callous canicide, so Sétanta promised to guard Culann’s house himself until he could find a replacement. He was called Cú Chulainn from then on.

J. C. Leyendecker, Myths & Legends of the Celtic Race

His prowess as a warrior grew, and Cú Chulainn soon learned to wield the Gáe Bulg, a barbed spear so horrific that it had to be literally cut out of its victims. He trained with the ruthless Scottish warrior-woman Scáthach. Then, at the ripe old age of 17, he single-handedly defended the kingdom of Ulster from an invading army. This was the Cattle Raid of Cooley, the oldest vernacular tale in Western Europe.

Medb, queen of the neighboring Connacht, came to Ulster to steal a highly fertile cow, as one does. Ulster’s army was indisposed, cursed with labor pains by the Morrigan, a triumvirate of goddesses. Cú Chulainn was exempt, however. In a supremely Tony Stark move, he was with a woman instead of at his post watching the border.

Cú Chulainn invoked the right of single-combat against Medb’s army. In a standoff that lasted months, he slew warrior after warrior, until, finally, he was injured. As he recuperated, the “boy-troop” of a nearby fort came to his aid and were slaughtered. Consumed with anger (like a certain jade giant) Cú Chulainn went into his most vicious ríastrad ever.

He turned into “a monstrous thing, hideous and shapeless. … His shanks and his joints, every knuckle and angle and organ from head to foot, shook like a tree in the flood.” His body actually turned inside out; one eye fell into his head, while the other dangled. He was so mad his hair sharpened into literal spikes.

J. C. Leyendecker, Myths & Legends of the Celtic Race

Cú Chulainn killed the entirety of the invading army, building walls from their corpses. Queen Medb, quite understandably, retreated, and then immediately began plotting her revenge. Calling together the children of everyone Cú Chulainn had ever killed, she lured him into a fight. One of the attackers, Lugaid, crafted a magical spear and mortally wounded Cú Chulainn. But, like a much more bloodthirsty Captain America, he wasn’t going down without a fight.

Tying himself to a stone, in order to die on his feet, Cú Chulainn fought until his last breath… and then after. Waiting until a raven landed on his shoulder, signaling that Cú Chulainn was well and truly dead and it was finally safe to get near him, Lugaid went over to behead him. Cú Chulainn’s deceased sword-arm sliced off his hand.

This was not the only postmortem feat of Cú Chulainn. Another story ties him directly into the legend of Saint Patrick. Supposedly, when Patrick was trying to convert Ireland to Christianity, King Loegaire agreed to do so, but only if the saint called up Cú Chulainn from the dead. He did, and Cú Chulainn not only convinced the king to convert, but also made a case for himself to be allowed into Heaven. Patrick, moved by his story, agreed.

So there you go. This St. Patrick’s Day, instead of more stories of leprechauns and snake-hating saints, hoist a green beer and tell the tale of Cú Chulainn, the Irish folk hero as legendary as all the Avengers combined.

Featured Image: Smite

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The history of the controversial Black Panther Party largely focuses on its male members. There are many classic photos of proud Black men wearing all black; they don leather jackets and berets while throwing up a Black Power fist or wielding guns. Films like Panther and, most recently, Judas and the Black Messiah focus on prominent men like Fred Hampton, Huey P. Newton, and Mark Clark; however, there were key women figures in the organization as well. The story of Elaine Brown, the Black Panther Party’s only chairwoman, is worthy of acknowledgement and celebration.

Early Beginnings 

Elaine Brown grew up on the cusp of poverty and privilege as a North Philadelphia girl attending predominately white schools. After a brief stint at Temple University, Brown chased her songwriting dreams to Los Angeles; its where she first became involved in the burgeoning Black Power collective. In the mid to late 1960s, Black people’s desire for safety and self-sufficiency along with a demand for more direct physical action vs. non-violence/peaceful protest led to this pivotal movement. The assassination of Malcolm X, riots, and America’s socioeconomic injustices further bolstered the desire to not “turn the other cheek.”

Organizations focusing on Black nationalism like the Black Panther Party became a source of power and pride for Black people. It was during this time when Brown’s interest in politics and social justice grew through her work with the radical newspaper Harambee. Less than a month after her 25th birthday, the Civil Rights movement (and world) changed with Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in April 1968.

Elaine Brown went to her first Black Panther Party meeting that same month, soon joining the relatively new organization in Oakland. Students Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale formed the Black Panther Party in Oakland, CA in 1966; it quickly gained steam among Black young adults. The Black Panther Party’s Ten Point Program spelled out their desires. Freedom, employment, decent housing, comprehensive education, military exemption, and an end of police brutality and murder among other things.

This puts the timeline between her joining and the events of Judas and the Black Messiah into the same era; however, those events took place in two different American cities. Brown did know Hampton to some extent but she was not a prominent member of the organization during his life.

The group pushed for Black liberation and empowerment, but it seemed this mainly had Black men in mind. In the organization’s early days, women did more “menial” tasks like selling newspapers, cleaning guns, and other assistant type of work. The Black Panther Party’s ideals were built on a patriarchal foundation so members didn’t want a woman to be assertive or attempt to obtain leadership. A woman’s job was to stand behind the Black man and be his support.

Party Contributions and Rise to Leadership

Brown helped with the Party’s many beneficial community programs like Free Breakfast for Children and its first Free Busing to Prisons and Free Legal Aid programs. She soon became the editor of the Black Panther Party’s Southern California Branch publication along with releasing her album Seize the Time. The latter gave Black people’s plights in America a soundtrack despite being about several key Party members.

“The Meeting, ” a dedication to Eldridge Cleaver, became the Party’s anthem at the behest of Chief of Staff David Hillard. Seize the Time didn’t make any commercial waves because Brown did not have a “Black sound,” but its lyrics are all about Black pride and power. She began to climb the ranks in the organization, becoming a part of the Central Committee as the Minister of Information (replacing Cleaver) in 1971.

By this time, the Party’s official stance on women began to change with newspapers and some leaders condemning sexism. Many Black Panther Party leaders, including Hampton, died due to the group’s perceived militancy while others went to prison for different reasons; this left a chasm for women to fill as their numbers grew within the organization.

Brown began to work with Newton, who encouraged her unsuccessful runs for Oakland city council in 1973 and 1975. However, her life went through a major shift in 1974 when Newton fled to Cuba to avoid criminal charges. He appointed her to lead the Black Panther Party as its chairwoman. She occupied that position for three years, focusing on electoral politics and community service and cultivating a Black Panther Liberation School.

Despite some pushes towards gender equality, there were still men who didn’t want to take orders from a woman. Brown documents her experience with BPP leadership and sexism in her 1992 memoir A Taste of Power: The Story of a Black Woman:

“A woman in the Black Power movement was considered, at best. Irrelevant. A woman asserting herself was a pariah. If a Black woman assumed a role of leadership, she was sad to be eroding Black manhood, to be hindering the progress of the Black race. Shew as an enemy of the Black people…”

Nevertheless, she began to appoint women into key administrative and leadership roles as their numbers kept rising. Women like Angela Davis and Ericka Huggins also became powerful women in the movement. This sense of equality was refreshing for some members but, for others, it challenged their long-held notions about what it meant to be oppressed and gender norms.

They were unable to see the intersectional issues of sexism and racism for Black women, instead believing that racism was more oppressive than sexism. For Brown, her experience with sexism came to a head in 1977 after Newton returned from Cuba. He came back to complaints from some men about women overpowering the organization. According to Brown, male members of the Party beat Regina Davis, a Panther Liberation school administrator, for reprimanding a male coworker. Newton stood with the men, causing Brown to leave the Party and return back to Los Angeles with her young daughter Ericka. The Black Panther Party subsequently began to dwindle in numbers, with most programs and schools closing by 1980.

Her story is a glaring reminder of the issues that Black women in America face. Outside of our communities, our gender and race lead to a double whammy of oppression. We earn less than men and our white female counterparts regardless of education background. We have to carefully navigate public places to avoid the “angry Black woman” or “difficult” labels. There is judgment about our family planning decisions and whether we fall into certain patriarchal norms.

AfroMarxist/YouTube

Black women are expected to “save” and stand for everyone; however, when we get too loud or bold, there’s someone looking to take us off the pedestal. Sometimes that person is white and other times it’s a Black man who wants to keep us “in our place.” Sadly, some Black men are willing to put their figurative foots in our backs while grasping their male privilege to get a leg up in the world. They can clearly see the effects of racism but cannot understand how sexism is a part of this harmful framework.

Mistreatment by others is difficult but a betrayal by our own men whom we often support is painful. Elaine Brown’s feelings of betrayal and disappointment are relatable to virtually every vocal Black woman. Thankfully, her story is so much bigger than her time with the Black Panther Party.

Post-Party Programs and Presidential Musings

She went to law school in the early 1980s and eventually moved to France in the early ’90s. Brown came back to America in 1996, settling in Atlanta and quickly getting to work in the community. She founded Fields of Flowers, Inc., a non-profit organization aiming to help Black children in poverty. Brown’s passion for helping children was also the cornerstone of her work through Mothers Advocating Juvenile Justice; she co-founded the organization to advocate for incarcerated youth, specifically those being tried as adults in Georgia.

Her 2002 nonfiction book The Condemnation of Little B examines the real-life case of Michael Lewis, who received a life sentence at 14 years old for a murder she believed he did not commit. The book uses his case to talk about the larger issue of Black children receiving lengthy or life sentences. In addition to helping youth, Brown also co-founded the National Alliance for Radical Prison Reform. Its aim is to assist people with finding housing/employment post-incarceration and transportation for family prison visits. This is in addition to an urban farm initiative to give jobs to formerly incarcerated people.

In 2007, Elaine Brown became a presidential nominee for the Green Party. Her platform focused on providing livable wages, free health care, public education funding, affordable housing, and environmental improvement. Unfortunately, she resigned later that year because the Green Party was dominated by, in her words, “whites who had not intention of using the ballot to actualize real social progress.”

Brown spoke to The Washington Post in 2018—50 years after she joined the Black Panther Party. She said she continues to work for social justice and criminal system reforms. Elaine Brown may not be a household name, but she certainly made history. She took the helm of a controversial organization and instilled her desire for liberation of Black people into its programs. And, years later, she is still saying, “All power to the people!” and speaking across the country about the ongoing fight for Black liberation.

The post We Need More Stories About the Black Panthers’ Elaine Brown appeared first on Nerdist.

The subject of mediums is certainly a divisive one. It taps into our curiosity about the afterlife, spirits, and the veil between this life and whatever comes next. Some people believe in their work, while others think of the whole industry as a money grab. In either event, general thoughts about what mediums and their clients look like tend to fall into a very narrow space. This often excludes people of color. Outside of TV depictions and talkshow fodder, most people have a limited understanding of what it means to be a medium and how modern practitioners approach their work. Nerdist spoke to two mediums to explore this profession in a more comprehensive way.

The Definition of the Medium

A medium is commonly defined as an intermediary who facilitates communication between our living world and the world of spirit, or “the dead.” However, psychic medium Dr. Lakara Foster offers a slightly different definition. “As a medium, I have the ability to connect to loved ones who have passed,” she tells Nerdist. “Most of the time they are bringing messages of healing, closure, and peace. When I am meeting with someone, I tell them that I am not talking to dead people. All we are is energy. We are energy before we enter these bodies, while we are in them, and when we depart from them. My gift allows me to tap into that energy after departure.”

The New Orleans native knew she could see forms of energy in childhood; however, it wasn’t until her college years that she began to really tap into her ability to help others. Her practice wasn’t necessarily a secret, but it didn’t intersect with her career as a counselor, nor her other pursuits. Now, she’s been on several TV shows and shares her gifts with the world.

“Mediumship is more than connecting with people who lived in our physical world; you’re able to connect with any spirit,” says Kiana Jimenez, a medium and Afro-Caribbean bruja. “You can connect with goddesses, gods, and ascended masters…it doesn’t always have to be with those who have lived on Earth. A lot of mediums just focus on connecting with those who were human, but it’s bigger than that. Mediumship is channeling, and when you channel you use your clairs. Clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience, claircognizant—which is seeing, hearing, feeling, and having that inner knowing. There’s also smelling and tasting, clairalience and clairgustance. Those abilities are the gateway towards establishing a clear connection.”

Each medium’s strengths in different clairs vary. According to Jimenez, they are like any other skill and can become better through active practice and study. Some people use the term “psychic medium” to define their gifts; others shun the word “psychic” due to negative association.

Courtesy of Kiana Jimenez

Jimenez, a Reiki master and energy healer, says her gifts were inherited from her paternal grandmother, a Caribbean witch, and her father, a healer. She was raised Roman Catholic but recalls a lot of paranormal experiences, including sleep paralysis and seeing spirits. Jimenez thought they were imaginary friends but later came to believe that wasn’t the case. As she came into her teenage years, she separated from the church and began to seek her own spiritual path with her older sister’s guidance.

“I never knew I was a medium,” she says. “I just thought it was something that everyone saw, until I began to talk to people. People would ask me how I knew something and I didn’t have a real explanation. Eventually, something just clicked with me and I realized that I am a medium. I began to take classes and get certifications. When I do readings I do platform readings and automatic writing.”

Mediums, Christianity, and Spiritualism 

The practice of mediumship spans the globe, appearing throughout different belief systems dating back to early recorded human history. The Bible itself refers to the Witch of Endor, whom Saul consults to call on the spirit of Samuel the prophet to receive advice for a battle against the Philistines. The terms “witch” and “medium” were sometimes interchangeable during this period with certain religious groups seeing their work as ungodly or evil magic.

Dr. Foster occupies an interesting space as not only a medium but also a Christian minister with a PhD in Ministry. She believes mediumship and Christianity are not mutually exclusive. She says that God spoke to her at a funeral one day and said that He promised His people eternal life, but felt people wouldn’t know this without a medium’s gift for affirmation.

Lakara Foster/YouTube

“My doctorate allowed me to do a lot of research on the topic of mediums, physics, and witches,” Dr. Foster states. “I got to look at different versions of the Bible, who wrote them, and what was happening during this time. Earlier versions didn’t not condemn these people but later versions did. There’s a reason for that. King James felt like people shouldn’t consult witches, mediums, and psychics. He pretty much lumped them all into one category, but really he had a problem with witches.”

Dr. Foster continues, “For myself, it was understanding who I am as an African-American and what were these gifts like before we were introduced to Christianity. What did we study and learn? How did we combine those together? I found that the two can be reconciled.”

Mediumship’s popularity grew in United States and the UK during the 19th century thanks to Spiritualism. This belief system hinges on the concept of living people connecting to the spirit world. During this period of frequent death, people would seek mediums to perform seances. (A seance is a ritual that allows a spirit to communicate directly through a medium’s body.) The profession became marred by opportunists like the Davenport Brothers, whose fraudulent stage tricks became a source of disrepute. This led to a sharp decline in physical mediumship and seances; however, other communication methods soon came to rise in subsequent decades.

Mediums and Modern Popular Culture 

Interestingly, the majority of mediums in TV and film fall into the physical category, with a mysterious person channeling a spirit with a message. But there has always been a wide variety of methods that mediums use for communication purposes.

“Every medium has different abilities and ways to communicate with spirit,” says Jimenez. “Some do trance work, so they combine their physical body with the soul of the spirit, entity, or god they are communicating with. Their facial expressions and tone of voice change. Then you have mental mediumship, which is the mainstream type we see with people like Teresa Caputo and Tyler Henry doing platform readings. They are either writing, which is called automatic writing, or speaking to the person they are giving a reading to about what they are seeing or hearing.”

Mediumship saw a significant rise in the 1990s thanks to episodes of The Oprah Winfrey Show, among others, featuring mediums explaining paranormal happenings or answering audience questions. People would jam Larry King Live‘s phone lines to get answers from famous medium John Edward. Whether it’s pure curiosity, disbelief, desperation, the insatiable human need for entertainment, or all of the above, people still want to see and seek the services of mediums.

The Marginalization of Mediums of Color 

Throughout history, white mediums have received the most mainstream attention. Mediums of color, specifically those who practice Voodoo, Vodun, and Shamanism, have been shunned or ignored at best and demonized at worst. These stigmas have permeated decades of culture, with a long list of movies featuring shamans harboring dark and harmful knowledge. (Not to mention films like Ghost leaning into the “wise magical Negro guides white protagonist” trope.) It feeds into the pervasive idea that a POC doing something is evil and suspect, but when a white person does the same thing, its trendy or intriguing.

This racist and dangerous mindset causes a problem for both practitioners and those seeking their services. A quick Google or Twitter search for mediums produces results that are overwhelmingly white women. We’ve seen people like the Theresa Caputo a.k.a. The Long Island Medium and Allison DuBois go from regular spots on talk shows and radio to their own television programs.

Mediums of color don’t get that same recognition and access; this leads many people to believe that mediumship doesn’t include a lot of representation across racial and cultural lines. And that’s simply not true.

“There needs to be more visible diversity in mediumship,” Jimenez states. “The lack of it hurts minority mediums because we never get that spotlight. I understand that they have their gifts, but why do they get everything while we pretty much don’t exist? We have the same gifts, even if we approach things differently. There needs to be a lot of change in mediumship and the spiritual communities in general.

Jimenez feels as though “some people in certain practices who speak up are called ‘evil’ and not up to some standard.” She adds, “When it comes to a Western perspective, many people are attracted to chakras and love and light and that’s not all there is to spirituality. We are still human beings and we need to balance our light and our dark. When it comes to many white mediums and spiritualists, everything is ‘angels.’ Nope. That’s why I’m doing what I am doing now with my classes and getting my work out.”

Jimenez points to economic inequity as an additional factor in this gap. She and with her sister combat economic disadvantages with their own free and discounted courses to help people of color gain the knowledge they need to offer service to others.

“When it comes to getting certified for mediumship and other spiritual practices, it is too expensive,” she says. “If you are coming from some African-American communities, you may not be able to drop $500 dollars for a four-week class. That keeps minorities out of the room and leads to more white people who do have the funds to get into those classes. They are able to get that additional knowledge and go on to build their businesses.”

Pushing mediums of color to the margins then becomes a problem for people of color who want to seek a professional medium. Systemic and institutional racism plays a large role in how many people of color move through the world. They often seek doctors, dentists, and other health and wellness professionals of their same identity in hopes of curbing issues that can arise from seeing someone who doesn’t understand and/or respect their cultural and spiritual practices, or who harbors unconscious biases against them.

For example, a Black woman may not want to go to a white doctor who is more apt to dismiss her physical pain, especially with proven research that this happens too often. Therefore, it would make sense for a person of color to seek a medium from a similar background; this medium would likely understand their beliefs about death, the afterlife, and how they wish to connect with loved ones. This is not saying that any medium cannot be beneficial to a person from a different race or cultural background; however, there’s a different level of camaraderie and comfort for people of color with such a sensitive issue.

“Majority of my work is done with Black women,” Dr. Foster confirms. “Many of them come to me because they heard me talking about God and being a Christian. I think them knowing that and finding someone who reconciles the two makes them more comfortable. Being from New Orleans, we took field trips to visit graveyards and see Marie Laveau’s grave. We learned about slaves and such. This was commonplace in my childhood and normal. It didn’t take much for me to connect with my gifts and do the work.”

Medium Gifts in Motion

Willy Volk/Flickr

Depending on a medium’s specific gifts, the preparation process for a session varies widely. Dr. Foster uses speaking (through her own voice) to communicate and automatic writing to relay messages. “Most of the people I connect with are stuck at some level of grief,” she says. “This creates these blockages or obstacles that keeps them from getting to their God given purpose. So, when spirit connects with me, it allows them to get free. They can get past certain levels of grief so they can fulfill their life’s purpose.”

She sets the tone with clients that, again, she’s not talking to the dead. Dr. Foster tells them that they cannot control who comes through nor the message and she will often get symbols or numbers which she writes down. She allows spirit to take control and knows the energy of whose in the room. Each session lasts about 30 minutes and she says that people tend to feel a sense of relief and empowerment by the end. She encourages them to continue making this connection, telling them that once they realize the energy is there, they don’t need a medium to speak directly to a loved one.

Kiana’s approach is somewhat similar with platform readings with automatic writing. In a “typical” session,  she starts off with a simple conversation with clients to put them at ease and their background with mediums. Jimenez says it’s vital for them to be open so she’s able to establish and maintain a clear connection. She then explains her gifts and the session begins with her centering herself before connecting and starting to write. There’s typically confirmation of the messages from the client as well as new things that bring them peace and clarity.

Neither medium has run into a client with a determination to prove them wrong. Rather, its usually a person whose uncertainty and skepticism turns into belief after a session. There are undoubtedly many people who do not believe in their abilities and work; but they don’t try to force anyone to change their minds. Many things in the world occur without scientific reason nor explanation and mediumship is no different. And, it’s up to a person to acknowledge, respect, and properly use their gifts to help others, if they so desire.

“There are a lot of skeptics,” Jimenez says. “What I love about skeptics is that there’s still that curiosity. They are questioning their beliefs but their ego steps in to tell them that it’s not real. They don’t want it to be real. But, when they come in for a reading, that changes that there perspective…We live in this society base where everything has to be structured in some way because others say that’s what it is. But is it really? It’s amazing when I see people who step into their power and see things through a unique perspective. That’s why I love what I do.”

Jimenez adds, “I share my beliefs and my gifts and it changes things for people. I love when my clients are healed from their past traumas. I want to empathize and help people heal in that vulnerable space. You have to be an empathetic and authentic person to do that.”

The need to understand, honor, and connect with those who are no longer physically here will never cease. Across religious movements and the many thoughts about what comes next, there’s a medium for virtually every person. It’s a practice full of intrigue and, for some people, a gateway to healing and moving forward. And no, it’s not just a “white people thing” for pure entertainment.

The post Black Mediums Thrive Against Marginalization and Misconceptions appeared first on Nerdist.

This week, freezing temperatures and massive snowfall beset swaths of the United States, including areas where such weather is uncharacteristic. Without the infrastructure in place for phenomena like these, said regions face tremendous danger. This particular episode sees Texas in the throes of a major crisis. Since Monday night, much of Texas—one of the only states with an independent energy grid—has gone without power. Millions of stateside homes continue to lack electricity and heat through the ongoing polar vortex.

CNBC Television

In absence of due protection from the government agencies responsible for such matters, independent organizations work to keep the people of Texas safe in this time of need. Below are a few resources currently expending effort toward this challenge; some focus their energies on the unhoused, and further still on pets.

First, let’s start with this excellent and extensive roundup of resources provided on Twitter. Within, you’ll find links to warming stations, food banks, and more.

This article from Eater Austin also includes several Austin-specific resources to help feed people in need. (Some of these are listed in the breakouts below, as well.)

Local Mutual Aids

One simple and straightforward way to help those in need is by donating to local mutual aids. In spring 2020, civilian-run organizations like these helped keep their neighbors safe and fed amid the swelling COVID-19 pandemic. Below are a few such examples and their corresponding Venmo accounts:

Austin Mutual Aid — Facebook, Instagram, and Venmo: @austinmutualaidhotels

Dallas Mutual Aid — Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Venmo: @feedthepeopledallas

Houston Mutual Aid — Website, Twitter, Instagram, and Venmo: @mutualaidhou

North Texas Mutual Aid — Website and Facebook

Local Shelters

Shelters throughout Texas are doing their best to provide sanctuary for those in need. First, you can dial “211” to find the warming station nearest to you or search online here. You can find another complete list of warming stations here.

The South Alamo Regional Alliance for Homelessness Facebook page offers a list of active shelters; as does Austin Is Safer When’s Instagram. Several of these institutions are open to donations.

Additionally, Austin’s Solid Ground Ministry opened its doors to the unhoused this week; the latter website offers avenues for volunteer work and donation. Ditto that of the organization Our Calling, which funds a number of Dallas-Fort Worth-based shelters; San Antonio’s Haven for Hope as well.

Food, Water, and More

As is typical, the housing insecure are hit the hardest in times like these. The Austin Area Urban League is funneling donations to the region’s most in want of food, water, shelter, and the like. The Way Home is doing the same across Houston. If you have the capacity to donate material items like blankets, you can try Front Steps.

The Texas Alliance of Child and Family Services is a non-profit working with different child-serving organizations around the state, focusing on relief efforts to aid those caring for foster children.

Pet Shelters

It can prove especially difficult to care for animals in periods of extreme weather. The Austin-based pet shelter Austin Pets Alive! is working to provide shelter, comfort, and care for local pets. This institution has put a call out for additional resources, both concrete and monetary.

These are just a select few ways to help; The Texas Tribune has a longer list of resources that we recommend reviewing.

The post Donate to These Organizations to Help Texas During the Power Outage appeared first on Nerdist.

A Brief(ish) Look at V-Day’s Origin Stories

Many historians connect Valentine’s Day’s origins to Lupercalia, an Ancient Roman festival held on February 15. The festival (which may have predated Rome) would celebrate the dawn of Spring, a season of fertility and growth; it was also a celebration of Juno, the pagan goddess of love and marriage. People would ward off evil spirits and purify their land, often sacrificing animals at the cave where, according to mythology, the twins Romulus and Remus were breastfed by the she-wolf Lupa. This is where Romulus supposedly founded Rome. 

A collection of priests known as the Luperci would preside over the festival with goat and dog sacrifices. Two Luperci would have their foreheads touched with a bloody knife before it was wiped with milk-soaked wool. They would cut thongs from the skin of animals and run nearly naked, striking women and supposedly making them fertile.

Women would be paired off with men via a lottery to celebrate the holiday in ways one would expect. A modern-day Lupercalia reference (albeit a loose interpretation) can be found in The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina season two. On the show, the witches and warlocks are paired together for The Courting, a night of “unholy” abstinence, before giving way to the Hunt, which ends with sex.

There’s also the obvious historical connection to the holiday’s namesake, Saint Valentine. Several accounts about the details about his life and exploits  may even suggest multiple St. Valentines. First, there’s the account of a priest who was imprisoned for ministering to Christians in the third century before Christianity became a predominant religion. He allegedly gave sight to a blind girl and sent her a note signed “Your Valentine” before he was martyred on February 14 in 270 AD.

There are also stories about a Bishop of Terni during that time period. He secretly married Christian couples to help the husbands evade enlistment in Rome’s pagan army. He supposedly cut hearts from parchment paper to give to the men to remind them of their vows and God’s love. Needless to say, this story ends the same way with Saint Valentine’s death on February 14. 

Valentine was actually a common name so it’s not impossible for there to be two different men with similar missions. But it could also be various tales about the same man. Either way, this later led to The Feast of Saint Valentine on February 14, which Pope Gelasius used to replace Lupercalia in A.D. 496. All of this provides a basic explanation for how it became a major day.

A Day of Love and the Rise of Commercialization

In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the day started to become associated with romantic and courtly love similar to spring’s lovebirds. Some historians attribute this to Geoffrey Chaucer, an English poet. Around the 1370s or 1380s, he wrote “Parliament of Fowls,” which contains a line about Saint Valentine’s Day being the day for a bird to choose their mate. This inspired nobles to write letters known as “valentines” to their love interests. Around 1599, Shakespeare’s Hamlet makes a direct connection between St. Valentine’s Day and being someone’s Valentine. 

Tomorrow is Saint Valentine’s day,
All in the morning bedtime,
And I a maid at your window,
To be your Valentine. -Ophelia

Jill Wellington/Pexels

As people continued to explore and expand across the world, Valentine’s Day made its way to England. Eighteenth century English and American couples started to celebrate the holiday in a way that closely resembles what we do today: flowers, sweets, and greeting cards with hearts and Cupid, the god of desire and erotic attraction. At the time, the cards were handmade with love. But people soon began to capitalize on the holiday.

A poem in Gammer Gurton’s Garland (1784) includes the classic lines about red roses and blue violets. This could have influenced the association of red roses to the holiday. 

“The rose is red, the violet’s blue,
The honey’s sweet, and so are you.
Thou art my love and I am thine;
I drew thee to my Valentine:
The lot was cast and then I drew,
And Fortune said it shou’d be you.”

Mount Hollyoak College Archives and Special Collection 

In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began selling Valentines in America in mass quantities, earning her the moniker “Mother of the Valentine.” Her cards would feature lace, ribbons, and pictures, and were a cheaper option than importing cards from overseas. This sparked a steady uptick in Valentine’s Day merchandising in both America and England; Cadbury’s (a British company) introduced a heart shaped box of chocolates in the 1860s.

The infamous conversation candies (pieces of candy with lovey/flirty phrases) were developed in 1866 by Daniel Chase, the brother of New England Confectionery Company founder Oliver Chase. He wanted to compete in the growing Valentine’s Day market by making his own lane. The candies did not become heart shaped until around 1902.

Around 1873, Milton S. Hershey started his first candy shop in Philadelphia. His consistent study of confection making, particularly chocolate and caramel, led to founding of Hershey Chocolate Company (Hershey’s) in 1894. The company struck sweet gold in 1907 with Hershey’s Kisses, a candy now synonymous with the day of love. Hallmark Cards (founded in 1907) sold Valentine’s Day gift cards in 1910; however, the decline in postcards’ popularity led them towards the creation of Valentine’s Day cards in 1913. 

Hallmark Archives

Of course, there was pushback to the holiday’s rapid commercialization. Similar to anti-Valentine’s Day sentiments today, many people thought that the push to buy mass-produced gifts in honor of love defeated the holiday’s overall purpose of creativity and celebrating love on an individual scale. Either way, the commercial rush for gifts continued to expand in subsequent decades with print advertisements for chocolate and gift ideas.

Major companies like Coca-Cola, Whitman’s, and Hallmark competitor Norcross pushed everything from cakes to pajamas to sexy nightclothes for an easy holiday cash grab. Famed diamond company DeBeers also launched its “a diamond is forever” campaign in 1948 to connect quality jewelry with an expression of love.

Valentine’s Day fell at a perfect time to entice viewers who had finally built back up some post-Christmas reserves. As expected, promotional materials heavily centered on white heterosexual couples or white women. Those that did feature people of color didn’t even use actual human beings, instead leaning towards caricatures depicting harmful and racist stereotypes. 

The TV Years and Beyond

Interestingly, the rise and popularity of TV in the 1950s through the 1970s didn’t seem to have a profound effect on Valentine’s Day. It wasn’t until the 1980s when companies like Hallmark began to really put stock into V-Day commercials. This 1985 commercial is exactly what you’d expect from a cheesy advertisements during this time; however, it was reflective of shifting social attitudes with some diversity (and no blatant racism) in the mix.

In 1986, Hersey’s Kisses began to lean more into love day by offering candies in pink and red foil. In the years since, Valentine’s Day has become one of the most commercialized holidays in America. It’s the subject of TV episodes and films and even the inspiration behind YouTube, which was founded on Valentine’s Day 2005 as a dating website. And Hallmark further capitalizes on the holiday with an entire TV channel playing cheesy love movies.

There is paraphernalia for everyone in a person’s life, whether its friends, lovers, enemies, or pets. Companies are leaning into social media marketing as streaming services curate content for those who can’t get enough of romcoms or dramatic love stories. Annoying as the marketing bombardment may be, it has made significant strides in recent years. Now, people from different racial/cultural backgrounds and non-heterosexual romantic relationships are in advertisements and on cards, too.

According to WalletHub, people will spend an average of $164.76 for Valentine’s Day 2021; this equals a total spending of almost $22 billion. Hallmark will offer approximately 491 different types of cards in its stores, leading the pack for sentimental valentines. Long gone are the days where the majority wrote heartfelt letters or simple gifts. Hate it or love it, Valentine’s Day is here to stay and probably won’t get any less commercial any time soon.

The post The Murky History (and Clear Commercialization) of Valentine’s Day appeared first on Nerdist.

“Death and taxes” is a popular idiom about the few certainties of life. Some taxes may be avoidable, but there are no exemptions for death, even with today’s medical advancements. So, since death remains undefeated, why aren’t we having more open conversations about our inevitable demise? What should we do now to ensure our death wishes will be granted? How can an honest assessment and examination of death lead us to live better? The death positive movement aims to answer all those questions and more.

The Origins and Definition of Death Positivity

Those who have heard the term “death positive” may associate it with the lighter, clickbaity parts of the movement. For example, there are countless profiles about death cafés: pop-up gatherings of “quirky” people casually chatting about death over coffee. Participants can talk about their fears, hopes, and wishes in a safe and nonjudgmental space. Death cafés are among the earliest pieces of the death positive movement to visibly show up in our modern society, so they tend to get a lot of media shine. “Living” fungus caskets and other “alternative” funeral and burial plans also dominate the overall picture of the death positive movement. Death positivity—it’s cool, it’s green, and it’s trendy, right? Not exactly. 

Green death practices and death cafés play a role in the movement; however, the crux of death positivity is about leaning into our natural curiosity surrounding death to quell fears. Mortician, writer, activist, and death positive movement leader Caitlin Doughty gives us a death positive definition in a Brut America video profile.

“Here’s what the death positive movement doesn’t mean. It doesn’t mean that you’re real positive about death. You’re not like ‘Whoo my mom died!’ Death positive is saying it’s okay to be interested in death. So being death positive is saying we want to improve our culture. We want to have more eco-friendly death practices. We want to have better conversations around death and nobody has to hide that.”

The death positive movement gained widespread traction with a tweet. In 2013, Doughty sent out the following message to ask a simple yet poignant question:

At the time, Doughty’s work as a death positive advocate and educator was already in motion. She gained a following thanks to her Ask a Mortician YouTube series, which launched in 2011 and still exists today. She uses her expertise and pitch-perfect sense of humor to answer some common questions about death and funerals.

That same year, Doughty also launched Order of the Good Death non-profit collective after reaching out to funeral professionals, artists, and others whose work involves shifting our overall culture of death phobia towards talking about and preparing for their mortality. Her death positive tweet sparked a wave of conversation about how society’s avoidance of “death talk” is unhealthy. In the aforementioned video, Doughty further addressed why we need to face one of life’s biggest fears.

“It’s not that you can’t find death everywhere. You find it in the news, you find it on the Internet, you find it in cartoons, you find it in crime shows. It’s absolutely everywhere and it shows how obsessed we are underneath the surface subconsciously with our own mortality. But I think we should bring it out into the open. Subconscious fear of death drives us in negative ways whereas open fear of death or open acknowledgement of our own deaths can help us in positive ways.”

Of course, there are many people who grew up in death positive environments because of their cultural beliefs. Order of the Good Death Director Sarah Chavez grew up in a Latinx family where “death talk” was normal. She opened up to Nerdist about her family and their relationship to death.

“You cannot have a conversation with my grandmother without her bringing up some aspect of her funeral planning because she has the whole thing planned right down to the Tom Jones songs she wants played. And so there was always this consciousness…My father and mother and their partners were all a part of the film industry. So I essentially spent my entire childhood on a movie set.

I watched hundreds of these super choreographed, fake Hollywood deaths being recreated over and over again. That’s a little weird and surreal… but there came a time when my father was on a set and several deaths took place. And that completely changed everything. The adults that were very open and honest immediately changed—they didn’t want to talk about death and what happened became closed off. As a child I didn’t understand why everyone changed so drastically.”

Despite this shift in openness, Chavez’s formative years set her on a path towards death positive activism. Prior to her work with the Order of the Good Death, Chavez became a property historian in 2010 in her own diverse East LA neighborhood. Her first assignment was to protect the stories and facts around a local abandoned hospital to ensure authenticity. She also wanted to make sure that outsiders couldn’t come in and tell stories that would cast a negative light on residents and communities. It was through this work that she further understood how much people needed more in-depth conversations about death.

“I started doing more historical projects for other properties and that intersected a lot with people’s curiosity about deaths and locations,” Chavez said. “In working with the public on these sites that are somehow associated with death and beliefs about the afterlife and that are right there in the community, I saw how people were really wanting a space and a place to talk about their fears or experiences or grief.”

The Order of the Good Death’s Plans and Purpose

The death positive movement includes vital work that fights back against cultural appropriation, systemic racism, anti-LGBTQ sentiments, and general fear and lack of preparation for a certain event. The Order of the Good Death plays a critical role in spreading the ideals of death positivity with eight principles/beliefs that members are expected to uphold as they become allies to help others’ achieve their post-mortem wishes. The website has a wide range of information about embalming, decomposition, funeral planning, and more.

UCLA Collection Strategies Librarian, author, and Order of the Good Death staff member Megan Rosenbloom tells us more about the organization’s important work.

“We are always amplifying voices of people with [death positive] books, conferences, and different perspectives to bring to the table. We’re also thinking about who we aren’t hearing from and getting them to talk about certain death practices or history from their experience. One thing we have done is work with a lawyer put together a list of tools for trans people to make legal filings in their state to protect their name in death.

A lot of times if people are estranged from their family who are still next of kin things happen so fast with the funeral that people end up getting deadnamed or dressed in clothes they wouldn’t wear. But if you have a paper that says, like, ‘I designate this person to make those decisions,’ that offers protection. To have some control over what happens when you can’t make decisions for yourself anymore is very empowering for people.”

Rosenbloom, a former medical librarian, is the Co-Founder and Director of Death Salon. This branch of the Order encourages intellectual conversations about death through events with an 18th-century spirit. She met Doughty several years ago when the latter was a newer mortician and the Order was simply an idea. Rosenbloom’s background as a librarian and organizing whiz led her to become a key member in helping Order of the Good Death conduct events and build its network of supporters.

The Order has quite a few followers and members but the team is surprisingly small. Chavez says there are only three main organization staffers but they still manage to cover a lot of ground. The team creates a host of videos, articles, podcasts, and online resources on top of donating directly to community organizations.

“One of the things we do is fund other organizations and individuals who are addressing disparities and deaths within their community,” Chavez affirmed. “This includes deaths at the US-Mexico border. We’ve donated to a number of places that do everything from search for remains to provide support for families to pay for the care and transportation of families to the location of their missing loved one when their remains are found. We help with funding the documentation of their belongings and the bodies so they can hopefully be found at a later date. We also work with homeless hospices and organizations that provide suicide hotlines and emergency services for the trans community.”

She said that anyone can make a difference through educating themselves on the website and taking effective actions. Chavez specifically mentioned how many emails they receive each day with organizations and people who need help. For example, they could have someone reach out who is looking for resources about LGBTQ-friendly funeral homes. The Order of the Good Death also aims to partner with those who can craft bills, create protection laws to protect certain burial spaces, and start programs to make sure all people are properly cared for after their deaths.

“We need people to create programs that are in place for mortuary science students so they can take care of natural hair and non-white skin and be able to serve all of their community. I’m hopping on the phone with lawyers to help a mother who isn’t able to access her stillborn child’s remains from a hospital or trying to help a person in a small town who has a fear of being misgendered in death. There are so many things that need to be done. And this movement is for everyone anywhere where there is a need.”

How Death Positivity Shows Up During COVID-19 and Social Injustice

One important tenet of the death positive movement is helping people achieve what they consider to be a “good” death. However, many people face systemic racism and untimely deaths due to racist ideology. The murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor loom heavy in the minds of Black people. Many realize their own demise could also be a violent, horrific tragedy.

Immigrant families are in deplorable US Border Patrol detainment centers that can lead to their deaths. In 2019, Jimmy Aldaoud, a man who lived in the US since his childhood and died from diabetes complications after being deported to Iraq, an unfamiliar land to him. His deportation led to him living on the streets without vital medication. In 2020, people across socioeconomic backgrounds struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic. It all leads to a necessary question: how does death positivity show up in the midst of all of this? Rosenbloom offered an answer.

“When it comes to state violence you cannot say ‘Oh yeah, I’m death positive but I don’t care about that.’ because that’s not full death positivity. It’s incumbent upon us to be speaking out against the things that cause people to take away someone’s agency around their death. The nature of this movement allows a lot of people to have these conversations and invoke death positivity into the framework of what’s being talked about right now like Black Lives Matter.

What are the things we need to support that stop things that take that agency from people? What sort of lights do we need to shine? We have to do that to every extent possible…If anyone can think that we are not striving every day to be more inclusive and that we’re not a social justice movement with everything that entails then we are not doing a good enough job of telling you who we are.”

Chavez reinforced this sentiment and addressed how a lack of respect for others’ practices is also a major issue. For instance, the treatment of a person’s body affects what happens to their souls.

“It’s impossible for someone to consider what would constitute a good death for themselves while so many other people are forced to face this reality of a bad death. They are not able to access the support and services that they need to accomplish their idea of a good death. This should be a fundamental part of our society.

You have many people who believe that it doesn’t matter what happens to the body. But the other side of that is for a lot of religions and cultures, this matters a lot. It’s not just the respect of the body itself but the afterlife. If the body isn’t taken care of in a specific way at a specific time according to their beliefs, then there are consequences in the afterlife.”

The Collective for Radical Death Studies (CRDS), of which Chavez is a founding member, focuses specifically on doing anti-racist work surrounding death. The group is mostly people of color who want to reexamine death studies through a more diverse lens via decolonization. CRDS aligns with Chavez’s overall passion for highlighting issues in marginalized communities which impact how they experience death.

As expected, the COVID-19 crisis affects death positive work in several ways. Rosenbloom’s Death Salon events were already on a hiatus pre-pandemic. Now, she’s not sure when they will be able to resume in-person meetings. However, this pandemic is reinforcing the need to continue their work and encourage people to talk about death.

It’s unsurprising that COVID-19 has presented new challenges to the movement. “When we feel threatened by death or triggered by reminders of death, we double down on beliefs and they can end up being incredibly intensified,” Chavez said. “We’ve seen that all year long where people have been hoarding things, being defiant, and not caring about people by not wearing their masks. It’s the ‘my rights are being infringed upon’ group with some harmful religious, nationalist, and racist beliefs.”

A nationwide, and perhaps global, mitigating of that fear could lead people to react in more empathetic and rational ways. And, with so many people needing mental/emotional/financial/advocacy support from themselves and, Order of the Good Death is busier than ever.

What We Gain from Being Death Positive

The death positive movement is a space where people can expand themselves in a positive way. They will know what they should have in place to ensure their friends and family understand their end-of-life wishes. Death positivity allows a person to gain empowerment and affirm that their questions and curiosities are not wrong. They can attain a healthier respect for others’ wishes that don’t mirror their own. Rosenbloom also says it can help a person ease their anxiety about their own demise. They can perhaps become a better support person in times of bereavement.

“When something gives me anxiety, I find that learning about it helps me. If there are certain elements of it that I can then prepare for or control it gives me a little bit of comfort as opposed to being thrown into a horrible situation. If and when someone dies in my life now I am able to be more present in what’s going on and deal with the loss instead of internally panicking about what I will do next.

Or, being like ‘Oh this means I’m gonna die someday and I haven’t really dealt with that idea.’ Once you learn some skills it can help you be a better friend. Instead of trying to fix the problem or go to horrible clichés you can sit with them and say ‘This sucks. I’m angry for you. I’m upset with you. I’m here for you. I can help you specifically in these ways to make your life easier.’ instead of the canned responses.”

Pexels

Chavez and Rosenbloom encourage others to become community advocates to shift the overall culture. It can be as simple as sharing posts on the website along with videos and community events. If people want to lend monetary support to the Order, then they can grab merchandise or make donations through the website. Either way, it helps to spread the word about death positivity.

Death positivity goes beyond the scope of your life and inner circle. If a person wants more open talk about death, then there have to be conversations about life. What barriers stand in the way of access to information and resources about end-of-life planning? What social constructs keep people from attaining the health resources for the best chance at longevity and a healthy life?

How do we all fight against systems and people who subject others to a traumatic demise? Yes, your choice of songs, flowers, and burial methods remain important for your own celebration of life. But Order of the Good Death’s fifth principle sums up the larger need best:

I believe that the laws that govern death, dying and end-of-life care should ensure that a person’s wishes are honored, regardless of sexual, gender, racial or religious identity.

It’s more than just changing ourselves. It’s about breaking down barriers and causing an ideological shift in the world.

Featured Image: Pexels

The post The Death Positive Movement Encourages Us to Face Death Directly appeared first on Nerdist.

Wrestling is one of the most popular forms of sports entertainment on the planet, attracting fans of every stripe. While it hasn’t always been the most inclusive space for athletes, performers, and fans, that is now changing.

In part two of The Rise of LGBTQ+ Wrestling, we explore the business side of wrestling as Danielle Radford sits down with promoters from across the country to talk about how queer wrestling events come to life, the crossover between wrestling and drag, and creating art during the time of the pandemic. Plus, we finally sit down the with the mysterious Still Life with Apricots and Pears.

Watch part one here: https://bit.ly/3mpGJH2

Credits
Produced by Danielle Radford, Adam Murray, and Dan Casey
Edited by Adam Murray
Hosted by Danielle Radford

The post The Rise of LGBTQ+ Wrestling – Part Two (Nerdist Now) appeared first on Nerdist.

Wrestling is one of the most popular forms of sports entertainment on the planet, attracting fans of every stripe. While it hasn’t always been the most inclusive space for athletes, performers, and fans, that is now changing. In part one of The Rise of LGBTQ+ Wrestling, Danielle Radford sits down with queer wrestlers from across the country to talk about how the landscape is changing, the future of wrestling, and much more.

Credits
Produced by Danielle Radford, Adam Murray, and Dan Casey
Edited by Adam Murray
Hosted by Danielle Radford

The post The Rise of LGBTQ+ Wrestling – Part One (Nerdist Now) appeared first on Nerdist.

For the most part, folks know to tag spoilers, or the fandom collectively decides to not tell a newcomer why that anime girl smiling with her puppy in Fullmetal Alchemist is… perfectly fine. Lately, however, I’ve been doing the exact opposite of avoiding spoilers. I’ve been actively looking for what I’d like to call “self-preservation spoilers.”

What Are Self-Preservation Spoilers?

This spoiler works in the same vein as a trigger warning. Trigger warnings let folks know that the content they’re getting ready to engage with has elements that can be upsetting. Self-preservation spoilers do the same thing, but to me, they’re more detailed. A trigger warning for The Boys, for example, might say something like, “Rape, violence, racism, just a harsh time all around.” But a full blown self-preservation spoiler would go into detail about who gets abused, how much is shown on screen, the culprits behind the brutality, and why these characters do what they do. 

Sony Interactive Entertainment

My wife tells people about how I begged her to look up spoilers for Trico in The Last Guardian. Why? Because I do not handle animal death well. There’s no traumatic reason behind this; I simply love furbabies. Honestly, we all have that one series or character we just gotta check on before we see the results of their story.

I didn’t think much about this preemptive search for a character’s fate until the recent release of Lovecraft Country. While viewers knew that the series would touch on racism, several took to Twitter to ask just how racist the series got. I couldn’t blame them, not with the combo of global pandemic and racial injustice in 2020.

The Types of Self-Preservation Spoilers

The “I Saved Your Time” Spoiler

One type of self-preservation spoiler is the “I saved you two hours of your time by watching this for you” post. This tends to happen in regards to representation. As a Black queer woman I have an ongoing punch card for Team GOOD Representation. There are times when media and/or a creator promises to do right by me but they end up dropping the ball… into a dumpster fire. 

This was recently seen with Antebellum which… deep sigh. Real talk: I haven’t been in the mood for a slavery movie in years because seeing the various ways we are abused onscreen is exhausting. However, the trailers made Antebellum look like some trippy time warp adventure where a modern day Black woman gets tossed back to the cotton fields and leads a revolution on horseback. The film also starred Janelle Monae, whom I love. 

Lionsgate Pictures

Fortunately, I wholeheartedly listened to Black women reviewers who’d watched the movie so I didn’t have to. They warned viewers of brutal beatings, branding, rape, and how the twist has zero payoff. There’s no going back to the days of our ancestors, embracing our roots, or revolutionizing our people. It’s a modern day park that takes historical reenactments too far. Thassit. And, out of the main Black characters trapped at the park, Monae’s the only one who survives. Seriously, thanks for the save, Black women. 

The “Prepare For Disappointment” Spoiler

“First openly gay moment in the MCU,” the headlines read as Joe Russo regaled us of the importance of representation with Endgame. 

“Blink and you’ll miss it,” said every queer news outlet and movie goer who sat through 11 years of movies to be told that this was their “important representation” moment. The character didn’t even have a name, Joe. I’d say that the community was let down by this *checks notes* “groundbreaking moment,” but we’ve had years of creator promises and characters being outed after the fact.

LGBTQ+ social media will quickly let you know if a reveal is worth the price of admission. Their collective eye rolls saved me the exhaustion of yet another bout of disappointment. I 100% would recommend self-preservation spoilers whenever there’s any news involving queer characters, especially if it’s coming from the director’s mouth. It can reassure you about the She-Ra finale, lower your expectations about that Beauty and the Beast character, or remind you to avoid certain wizard school authors (and their alternate pen names). 

The “This Is A Hard Watch BUT” Spoiler

It’s not just tempering your expectations; it’s knowing that a piece of media has hard hitting topics and how they’re handled. I can deal with Lovecraft Country because viewers and the cast take to Twitter to discuss each episode. They let us know that this isn’t the type of Black story that white friends tend to call “powerful” like the Oscar bait titles with Racism 101 scenes. You know, the ones with white saviors who are so in-tune with Blackness that they teach us the wonders of fried chicken (I will never forgive you, Green Book.)

Lovecraft Country is full of unique depictions of combating racism. Atticus is summoning Lovecraftian monsters to get racist cops off their property. Leti’s fighting racist doctors with the spirits of his victims. Dee’s biking away from racist caricatures and beating them with steel pipes. Ruby drinks a potion to turn white?!

That’s not to say textbook racism isn’t present in Lovecraft Country, but since the characters know it’s a reality there isn’t this obsessive need to spend the entire episode on it. Much like real life, Black folks can (and do) focus on other things. We have to in order to deal with oppression.

Eli Joshua Ade/HBO

There’s celebration, love, joy, and other issues besides racism. Hell, days after the Breonna Taylor verdict Lovecraft Country had an episode where a Black woman embraces her true self and experiences freedom. She goes to SPACE, y’all! 

With each episode I saw friends discussing racism, Black joy, magic, horror, and, to my surprise, the queer community. This is where those self-preservation spoilers really shine. I knew 1950s America was like a constant game of “Minesweeper” for Black folks, but Black queer folks? Especially when the central focus is “I beat my kid so he wouldn’t be too sensitive” Montrose?

I knew Montrose was gonna kill Yahima, the two spirit character capable of translating the Language of Adam, and I appreciated how quickly the self-preservation spoilers hit Twitter to prepare queer viewers. This was a moment that didn’t sit well with many (myself included), especially when Montrose gets his be free moment in the following episode. Despite my disappointment over Yahima, the show doesn’t expect us to forgive Montrose at all. 

Even as we delve into Montrose’s backstory, it doesn’t try to convince us (and the other characters) to let him slide for his actions. Lovecraft Country is proof that you can (and should) critique the things you like. The spoilers, the online discussions, the podcast, and even statements from the creators expect, and embrace, critique.

The “This Is A Hard Watch PERIOD” Spoiler

The Boys is a show that I was actually interested in because I’m a fan of subverting the superhero genre. However, 2020 has been… a thing. When the pandemic hit, I couldn’t even deal with the Resident Evil 3 remake because a virus attacking an entire populace hit too close to home. The pandemic slowed everything but racial discrimination down as we mourned the loss of George Floyd while still fighting for justice in regards to Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor.

While The Boys has an interesting concept, many people (including me) don’t have the mental bandwidth to deal with white supremacy in fiction and real life. It’s hard enough with real life incidents having video footage that circulates on auto-play.

Amazon Prime Video

Thanks to spoilers I know who Stormfront is now. I also know I’m not in the right headspace to deal with the obliteration of marginalized people by a secretly Nazi superheroine. And, anyone who feels like I doesn’t want to hear fan justifications for what’s onscreen.

Is it part of the source material? Is a white woman social media savvy Nazi who, in the finale, gets a fantastically brutal comeuppance a statement? Whatever the case, they will say anything to get you to watch yourself being torn apart. As the old Internet proverb says, “Don’t read the comments.” 

Many argue that spoilers ruin a story. But I gotta know what lies ahead for marginalized characters who represent me. In this case, spoilers prepare me for what kind of media is out there. Self-preservation spoilers help me decide what to watch, what to not watch, and what to leave in the queue until further notice.

Featured Image: Matt Kennedy/Lionsgate 

The post The Benefits of Seeking Out Self-Preservation Spoilers appeared first on Nerdist.

What does it mean to professionally succeed? That question has myriad answers that vary between individuals. There are countless career tracks, entrepreneurship endeavors, and specific milestones which signify progress and success in their respective fields. However, the pathway to achieve those goals is often murky and nebulous, particularly for women of color. They have to contend with racism, sexism, nepotism, and gatekeeping while trying to attain their goals. And most of them go about these arduous journeys without the guidance, knowledge, and encouragement of a mentor to help them stay the course. Music industry veteran and author Sophia Chang aims to change this narrative with Unlock Her Potential, a free mentorship program for women of color.

“I think it doesn’t occur to many women of color to get a mentor,” says Chang in a telephone interview with Nerdist. “They have never even thought about it. It’s not built into how we think about our careers and advancing ourselves professionally. We are expected to just figure it out.”

Chang’s own story of success is truly phenomenal. As a Korean-Canadian kid in a White neighborhood, she fell in love with hip-hop after hearing Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five’s “The Message” in high school. She later moved to NYC and began working in the music industry at Jive Records. Chang met Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA and began a lifelong relationship with the infamous hip-hop collective, managing several group members. She’s often referred to as Wu-Tang’s muse and a key driving force behind their music and business moves.

Sophia Chang and Wu-Tang Clan’s GZA, photo courtesy of Sophia Chang

During this time, Chang connected with her mentor Michael Ostin. She credits their 33 year long relationship with helping her craft her own career trajectory. “I met [Ostin] in 1987 when he was the head of A&R at Warner Brothers Records and I worked with Paul Simon,” Chang says. “And his guidance has been unerring for that long. So, I actually have experience as a woman of color who benefited from having a mentor.”

She went on to hold several positions including A&R (Artist and Repertoire) at Jive and A&R Administration at UMB. Chang eventually left the music industry of her own volition to focus on family. Later on, she returned to entertainment as a producer for shows like Project Runway All Stars. She has done it all from developing TV and film properties to penning her upcoming memoir, The Baddest Bitch in the Room, about her experiences. Her expansive career led to her building a solid network with professionals in many industries and disciplines.

Sophia Chang’s own career trajectory combined with her desire to advocate for and build up women of color is why she’s starting Unlock Her Potential. “I had originally conceived of this as a consultancy… that I’ll go into a corporation and I’ll say ‘in order to promote and bring women of color up through the ranks at your company, you have to mentor them,’” she affirms. “So, it wasn’t a fleeting notion. It’s something that I’ve been formulating for a number of years.”

She explains to us why she’s the only person in the world who could pull off such a lofty project. “What makes me uniquely qualified is that I am deeply passionate about empowering and uplifting women of color,” she states. “I’m a producer. Somebody else can have the idea but if you can’t execute it, it doesn’t mean sh*t… Also, my network is extraordinary. There is literally no other person in the world that could have pulled together those people and I did that sh*t in less than four days. Only Sophia Chang could pull that off. No question in my mind.”

Here’s how Unlock her Potential works. An interested person signs up for a mentor via the website. They will receive a mentor in their respective industry when available. The program gives them one hour per month for a year with their mentor to ask questions, map out plans for success, and get the guidance they need to press forward. Of course, the meetings will take place virtually due to location restraints. The rest is primarily in the hands of the mentor/mentee to make the best of this invaluable connection.

Actor and mentor Mustafa Shakir, photo courtesy of Cara Kim

Sophia stresses that a mentee must come to their meetings prepared in order to maximize their time. A mentor may choose to spend more time with a mentee, but it’s not a guarantee. She also wants people to know that this is about getting professional advice. This isn’t an avenue for a mentee to pitch their ideas and works in hopes of getting a big break. Unlock Her Potential’s HR team is also currently working on a list of icebreaker questions to make the initial meetings flow smoothly.

Chang’s initial list of Unlock Her Potential includes 100 mentors in academia, fashion, finance, music, publishing, journalism, TV/film, and other industries. The list includes some serious heavy hitters such as TV producer Mona Scott Young, Luke Cage actor Mustafa Shakir, The Root editor-in-chief Danielle Belton, journalist Kierna Mayo, Audible marketing whiz Sara Moscowitz, music artists GZA, RZA, and Joey Bada$$, and 13 Reasons Why showrunner Brian Yorkey.

TV Producer and mentor Mona Scott Young, photo courtesy of Cara Kim

The entire list came from Sophia Chang’s own network of friends and colleagues whom she trusts to be solid mentors. It’s her way of providing women of color access to people they wouldn’t be able to contact otherwise. However, Unlock Her Potential can only be truly effective if participants are ready to put in the work. Chang meticulously details what it takes to be a good mentee.

“Curiosity. Humility. Patience. Humility is huge. I had a mentee once whom I did not know and she acted in some ways like she knew more than me. And I fired her because that’s not the point of this relationship. The point of it is that in many, many arenas, specifically the one we were talking about, I do know more that you. So I could see it was going to be a waste of my time. It doesn’t mean that I don’t want to be questioned, of course, and there’s plenty for me to still learn for sure. But in certain arenas, I don’t have the patience to debate with you… So I think that mentees have to know that humility is really important.

And, with curiosity, it’s not just ‘here’s this thing that I am getting [from a person] and now I get granted access to their network.’ That’s not how it happens. The thing that you get is access to knowledge. The access to a network is a completely different story that might not even come… I worked hard to get my network access. And, I would say that it’s important to be grateful. You know, you should have gratitude for the gift that you are receiving. This is a gift because mentorship is a gift.”

Journalist and mentor Kierna Mayo, photo courtesy of Cara Kim

Chang plans to expand the list of mentors in the future with a vigorous vetting process. Unlock Her Potential is a part of her brand and she takes her work (and reputation) very seriously. So, it takes a phenomenal person to be on her mentorship roster. The life-long storyteller has crafted a brilliant Unlock Her Potential narrative to craft the program’s next phases.

“In this first year I will change the lives of 200 people,” Chang states. “I have no doubt about it. The mentors and the mentees… And I will scale it up as much as I can with counseling, funding, resources, and all of that stuff. But, what’s equally important to me is that I turn the gaze of America, specifically white male corporate America, to this issue. In the same way that a lot of women of color don’t think about getting a mentor, I promise you that there are White men in corporate America who don’t even think about mentoring a woman of color. Doesn’t mean they are bad people or racist but we all exist within a racist patriarchy. We all exist under the constraints of white supremacy. So by doing this program, I am drawing America’s gaze towards issues that should be dealt with.”

The ultimate goal is to change the way that both women of color and companies think about mentorship. Chang wants to pave the way and make such a major impact that companies have to take notice. She continues to lay out her vision below:

“In the same way that majority of corporations have a CSR (corporate social responsibility) or DNI (diversity and inclusion) department I want there to be an MWC (mentorship for women of color). I want every motherf*cker at the top of every company to say to their head of HR ‘Look at what Sophia Chang is doing. Look at what they’re doing at Unlock her Potential.

Do that because this is important. WE need to bring women of color up through the ranks not because it’s politically correct but because it actually benefits the bottom line and it’s the right thing to do. We’re f*cking amazing. And we are genius, industrious, and creative. We are original and offer new perspectives.'”

Unlock Her Potential is set to unlock the many doors standing in women of color’s path towards their definition of success. And, with the inimitable Sophia Chang at the helm, it’s set to birth a new crop of women who will in fact be the baddest women in whatever room they are in.

Featured Image: Unlock Her Potential

The post Unlock Her Potential Offers Free Mentorship for Women of Color appeared first on Nerdist.

For many people suffering from mental health issues, discussing them with others still has a stigma attached to it. But this year, the Hope for the Day non-profit is taking on mental health stigma in an exciting way. The goal is for people to “cuss out” that stigma and drop a donation dollar in a Swear Jar. The goal is for people to say “f*** stigma” in the same way that people say “f*** cancer.”

Hope for the Day is a movement empowering the conversation on proactive suicide prevention through outreach and education. September’s Suicide Prevention Month campaign is set to raise money by confronting mental health’s biggest silencing force, which remains the stigma surrounding it. As they say in the video below, “the more we talk about mental health, the more we realize that we’re not alone.”

Hope For The Day asks participants to create a post on social media where you swear at a mental health stigma. The curse words, of course, are of your own choosing (although we are always partial to a good f-bomb). You then share your story on social media using the hashtag #StigmaSwearJar. You can also support the campaign by simply donating on StigmaSwearJar.com.

Hope For The Day 

Hope For The Day has a goal of $200,000. So, just where does the money all go? 100 percent of the proceeds support HFTD’s proactive suicide prevention and mental health education programs. The more folks out there cuss stigma out on their socials and tell stigma just where to go and stick it, the more we all can educate ourselves and others about the realities of mental health issues.

Through outreach, education, and action, we can equip one another with the right tools to be proactive in our communities. For more information on how you can help, be sure to head over to HFTD.org.

Featured Image: Hope for the Day

The post Virtual Swear Jar Seeks to End Mental Health Stigma appeared first on Nerdist.

HBO’s Lovecraft Country premiered on Sunday and scared us silly with its whipsmart blend of supernatural mystery, doomsday cults, and monsters of every stripe. The show is jam-packed with literary references, easter eggs, and historical deep-cuts that you might have missed. Join Dan Casey on today’s Nerdist News as we explore all the secrets hidden in Lovecraft Country’s first episode, “Sundown.”

Want to go deeper into the world of Lovecraft Country? Join Nerdist Book Club on Wednesdays at 5PM PT as they discuss the book in detail.

For the real-world history behind the show, check out these articles on Nerdist:

Lovecraft Country and the horror of sundown towns: https://bit.ly/3hczIam
The real history of Lovecraft Country’s Safe Negro Travel Guide: https://bit.ly/34iJJyO
Interview with Lovecraft Country star Jonathan Majors: https://bit.ly/2YdrJlG

The post Lovecraft Country Episode 1: Easter Eggs and References Explained (Nerdist News w/ Dan Casey) appeared first on Nerdist.

World of Wonder

Now, Nina and Dolly have teamed up once again for an even bigger cause, which they’re calling Dolly x Nina: Kindness Is Queen Collection. This unique collection benefits both the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, along with the Nina West Foundation. The library is a book-gifting program promoting literacy in school kids, while the Nina West Foundation supports organizations for queer youth.

I recently got to chat with Nina about the origins of her partnership with the legendary country singer/actress/philanthropist, as well as her thoughts on this year’s Miss Congeniality on Drag Race, a title she rightfully earned for herself last season. We also get around to who she thinks should take the Drag Race All-Stars crown this summer.

The Nina West Foundation

“Kindness is Queen” seems like an especially timely sentiment in these turbulent times, but this collection is something that came together not only very quickly, but also very recently. “This all began in quarantine, in isolation,” Nina told Nerdist. “I got contacted for the season 12 finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race. I had an idea for this collaboration [with Dolly], and I reached out to my publicist, and they reached out to Dolly’s team, as we had just finished appearing in the Drag Race finale together. And she was really into it, and really excited to do it, and it just kept going from there.”

Promoting the idea of kindness in an era fraught with divisions was what this partnership was all about, and there are few people as legendarily nice in show business as Dolly Parton. “I wanted to see if I could work with this legend and do something pretty epic,” Nina said, “but I especially wanted to lean into her kindness, and lean into her love of all people. Something to really celebrate us all. And especially during these times, it’s so important to listen to what people are going through, and to come to the table with kindness. I am grateful that what we are doing together is resonating as much as it is in this time period.”

World of Wonder

When Nina West was growing up, she idolized Dolly. So just how surreal was it to work on a project, especially one as important as this one, with someone you once worshiped? “As a gay kid, you just never think something like this is going to happen,” Nina said. “I can’t go back to a time in my life where I do not remember Dolly Parton being there. That’s just the epic nature of this woman’s career. When I was a kid, she was the funny lady with the accent and the big boobies. Now that I’m an adult, and I really understand who she is and what she’s done, in terms of songwriting, and everything.”

Nina continued, “There’s a reason gay men love her and embrace and her, and there’s a reason the whole world loves her. And I have the feeling, and I’m hopeful, that this is beginning of a great and beautiful relationship.”

Kindness is Queen is meant to promote positivity and in a time of divisive and harmful rhetoric. One of the sad hallmarks of this era of divisiveness are the videos we see of young kids dragged by their parents to march against LGBTQ rights and other progressive causes. But as fans of Drag Race know from the show’s confessional moments, Nina West had a similar childhood to these children. Outside of her drag persona, Nina is Andrew Levitt, who in his younger years was a conservative activist who now sees a bit of himself in the regular footage of kids marching to promote intolerance in ways that they really can’t comprehend yet.

World of Wonder

“There is part of me that understands it,” Nina said. “Because as a kid, I was dragged to these kinds of things—no pun intended. I was taken to conservative political functions and dinners. And I know where these kids are at. And you know what? I know from having been in their shoes, I believed everything I was taught.”

Nina elaborated: “It was full indoctrination. It’s the only thing you know. I’m hoping that with the way media is, especially social media, that these kids don’t feel so alone and so isolated, and start having the ability to think for themselves. And if that’s what they really think, then that’s what they think. But my hope is that these kids have an experience that at least makes them question what they’ve been told to feel. And allow them to change.”

Inevitably, the conversation turned to RuPaul’s Drag Race, the series that brought Nina West into living rooms across the world. Nina’s time with Drag Race is over (barring an upcoming All-Stars season, we are hoping) and her recent reign as the show’s Miss Congeniality just came to a close. The new Miss Congeniality is small town girl Heidi N. Closet, who stole everyone’s hearts this past season.

World of Wonder

“She and I have been texting back and forth, and I am really excited to work with her,” said Nina. “She seems really level, and really grounded. And the only advice for her I really have is to stay focused on the things that you want, stick to your dreams, and stay grounded. People just love her. They love her because she’s relatable, they love her because she’s goofy and funny. But she also corrects people when they’ve crossed a line. And these are all just really admirable traits to find in a person, and  I’m just in love with her.”

Drag Race season 12 might be over, but the current season of All-Stars is in full swing. So who is Nina rooting for to take the crown? “I have two picks,” Nina told us. “I love all of the girls, but I think Jujubee and Shea Couleé both walked in as winners. They both have grown in a completely different way from their original seasons, and this is Juju’s second All Stars, so I would love to see her win it. But then, I am also madly in love with Shea Couleé. Aside from anything to do with the show, but for the work that Shea is doing as a response to the Black Live Matter movement, and being a force and voice for people to become united. I just think Shea Couleé is absolutely everything. And I like all of the girls, but I hope it’s one of those two.”

For more on the Kindness is Queen collection, be sure to head on over to the official site.

Featured Image: Nina West

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It may seem hard to believe, but the year 2020 has some good news for you for a change. Today, we here at Nerdist are thrilled to announce that our series Nerdist News Talks Back will return on our official YouTube channel! Beginning this Monday, June 22, fans can join Dan Casey, host of Nerdist News and  Explainiac, along with a rotating panel of experts, luminaries, and celebrities from all across the pop culture universe to abandon character limits and dig into fascinating discussions of everything (and anything) that pop culture fans care about.

Past guests of Nerdist News Talks Back have included such geek royalty as Taika Waititi, Simon Pegg, Rick & Morty creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland, the cast of The Magicians, the cast of Krypton, the cast of Sorry to Bother You, Stranger Things producer Shawn Levy, voice actor extraordinaires Tara Strong and Yeardley Smith, Daredevil and True Blood star Deborah Ann Woll, Rawson Thurber, Boots Riley, Erik Oleson, Evil Dead’s Bruce Campbell, and even that “science guy,” Bill Nye. And there will be even more exciting names to add to that list very soon, now that the show is back.

The now-weekly show will air live on Nerdist’s YouTube Channel, and will stream simultaneously on the Geek & Sundry YouTube Channel as well as Geek & Sundry’s Twitch Channel, where fans can join along in the conversation through live chat. Episodes will also be available as VOD on all three channels post the initial airing. It’s been a year since Nerdist News Talks Back began its long hiatus, but as Hannibal Lecter once told Clarice Starling, “Good things come to those who wait.”

Nerdist News Talks Back returns Monday, June 22, at 2pm PT. To join the conversation, fans should follow Nerdist on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and subscribe to the Nerdist YouTube Channel.

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One is the Queen of Country Music. The other is drag’s Queen of Nice. We’re talking about the legendary Dolly Parton and RuPaul’s Drag Race‘s Miss Congeniality for 2019, Nina West. Together, these two icons of fabulosity are launching the Dolly x Nina: Kindness Is Queen Collection, a first-of-its-kind collaboration between the “Jolene” singer and the drag performer and LGBTQ+ activist.

All proceeds from the Kindness Is Queen line, such as the limited edition T-shirt, tote bag, and enamel pin, will go to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a book-gifting program that promotes literacy by providing free high-quality books to children of all ages. Proceeds will also go to the Nina West Foundation, which supports organizations and services that support LGBTQIA youth and families. The collection is available now at www.ninawest.com for a limited time.

The Nina West Foundation / The Imagination Library

This collaboration between the musical icon and one of the drag community’s kindest queen ever comes on the heels of their appearance together on the Rupaul’s Drag Race season 12 finale this past May. The union of their two brands is something of a dream come true for Nina West, as she has idolized Dolly for most of her life. As kindness is something sorely lacking in the world right now, these two Queens of Kindness are here to remind you just how necessary it is at this time.

World of Wonder

In a statement, Nina West said “When I approached Dolly with the idea for a collaboration between the Nina West Foundation and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, I was looking for an opportunity to continue to spread my message of kindness while building on the work I’ve done through my foundation supporting youth and families. Dolly is the Ultimate Queen of Kindness and I am so thrilled that she agreed to this collaboration! We both want to spread the message that Kindness is Queen and that being kind is something that is desperately needed in our world right now!”

For more information on this initiative and how to help, be sure to head on over to The Nina West Foundation website.

Featured Image: Dolly Parton.com / World of Wonder

The post Dolly Parton and Drag Superstar Nina West Unite for Charity appeared first on Nerdist.

Many people in the United States commemorate this country’s independence and freedom on the Fourth of July, celebrating with displays of fireworks and countless celebratory events. However, the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 only granted freedom to people who were considered human at that time: White men and women. Enslaved people in America were still a White man’s “property,” still toiling fields, still being beaten, and still very far from being legally free. Frederick Douglass summarizes this sentiment beautifully during a Declaration of Independence commemoration event on July 5, 1852.

“…I am not included within the pale of glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn… ”

Douglass’ “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” speech mirrors many Black Americans’ thoughts today. For a lot of us, the Fourth of July is just a paid day off work (we will take it) and a chance to throw something on the grill. It doesn’t hold any real sentimental value because it’s yet another reminder of how our people have been treated in America. For others, there is a desire to have pride in the place where you have lived most or all of your life, but it’s not easy considering this country’s past. Blackness is not a monolith, so we all have varied and complex feelings about Independence Day.

Because of this, a lot of Black people choose to celebrate Juneteenth. While this holiday has been around for many years, there are still some people who may not be clear on what it is, why it’s important, and how to support this holiday commemorating the first steps towards Black liberation in America.

Here’s what everyone needs to know about Juneteenth:

What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth—a portmanteau of “June” and “nineteenth”—is a commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers led by Major General Gordon Granger came into Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War had ended and enslaved people were free. This declaration came over two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863.

The Emancipation Proclamation was hard to enforce in states like Texas that didn’t have a sizable Union troop presence. Texas was the last state to have the proclamation announced, so June 19 became the day that all enslaved people were aware of their legal freedom. Of course, that “freedom” was conditional because of racist legal and social systems still in place to make it difficult for them to build a life. But it was a big step towards having autonomy over their daily lives.

Juneteenth celebrations date back to 1866 with Black Texans gathering to share food, stories, inspirational messages, and publicly read the Emancipation Proclamation. The celebrations often took place in Black communities and in nature because those were the only places that Black people were welcome, and legally able, to gather in peace.

Over the years, Juneteenth celebrations have expanded across the country with street fairs, cookouts, rodeos, park celebrations, and other prominent events. Many Black families have chosen to commemorate the day by organizing family reunions on or near Juneteenth. (Cue The O’Jays’ “Family Reunion.”) It’s still not an official national holiday like the Fourth of July, but Juneteenth celebrations exist in many major cities. Almost every state recognizes Juneteenth as either a state holiday or a ceremonial/celebration holiday observed by many people.

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam recently announced that Juneteenth 2020 will be a paid state holiday while New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is advancing legislation to make it an official state holiday in 2020.

Juneteenth’s significance

Juneteenth matters to many Black people for several reasons. It’s the symbolic day that our ancestors could walk away from people who used to declare ownership over them. Whereas many American holidays (centered on violence and appropriation) were created by White people, Black people created this day to celebrate their own liberty. Many of them were happy and hopeful about building a life for themselves and their descendants, and wow did they build quite the legacy in the face of hatred and pain. Black American innovation, power, and culture continues to shape and shift the world every single day.

Juneteenth is also a reminder of the pervasive issues that have always plagued Black people in America. The belief in White supremacy allowed slavery to happen in the first place and played a role in delaying its end. It took almost 90 years after the U.S. was “liberated” for all enslaved people to be released from physical bondage.

This is the American way—creating delays and complex legal/social barriers to keep Black and other marginalized people from freedom and equality. It’s a reminder of how far we’ve come and how the fight still continues in a system that was built on a declaration seeped with inequity and racist ideology.

Al.com/YouTube

The complications of celebration

The understanding that Black people are still fighting for equality and freedom makes Juneteenth a complicated holiday for some. Journalist Quintez Brown’s USA Today opinion essay declares that there is no true independence day for Black people until we are given the same social, legal, and political leverage as White people (specifically White men). He ponders how a White person can tell a Black person, another human being, that he is free.

“But how can a white man tell a black man that he is free? What moral authority does the white man have to determine the freedom or servitude of another man?”

From this perspective, it makes sense why Brown, and others, may not see Juneteenth as a Black independence day or may have complex feelings about it in general. Being a Black American is a constant emotional balance of pride, pain, anger, and frustration over our people’s past, present, and future as you continue to fight for different freedoms in a place where White men still call most of the shots.

Juneteenth in today’s news

Juneteenth is in the news in the midst of a continuous fight against systemic racism. Companies like Nike, Twitter, Square, and Vox Media are now adding Juneteenth to their paid holiday lists in an effort to celebrate Black history and culture. It’s an interesting move, but such organizations also need to adopt structural and cultural changes to create professional environments that are safe and suitable for Black talent to thrive.

The holiday got some recent love on Black-led TV shows like blackish and Atlanta. Sundance 2020 film Miss Juneteenth will celebrate the 2020 holiday with a story about former beauty queen preparing her daughter for a Juneteenth scholarship pageant.

How can I acknowledge and support Juneteenth?

You may be a non-Black person who feels the urge to host a Juneteenth party to show “solidarity,” but please don’t do that. This holiday is specifically about Black people honoring their history. Instead, your focus should be about what you can do de-center yourself and support Black people. You can lend financial support to those who organize local Juneteenth celebrations in your area, if they exist.

If not, check in with organizers to see if what supplies you can help gather for protesters—whether you can or cannot physically join them. The Movement for Black Lives has a call to action for everyone to stand with their local Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Black-led chapters. Do even more research on Juneteenth and share that information with others in your inner circle about why it’s important.

Support Black-owned businesses and Black creatives online or in person on June 19. Sign petitions, call legislators in your state to demand action and justice, and donate to organizations supporting Black equality and liberty.

Juneteenth is a day of many things: reflection, action, celebration, and determination. May those who celebrate Juneteenth feel pride in their legacy, channel the joy of their ancestors, and continue to push towards a future where we are all granted the same freedom to exist and love without fear.

Featured Image: Al.com/YouTube

The post What You Need to Know About Juneteenth’s Legacy appeared first on Nerdist.

The murders of George Floyd, Tony McDade, and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police officers and Ahmaud Arbery’s murder by white civilians is only the tip of a massive iceberg of senseless Black deaths that have caused generational trauma.

The Black community has continually faced systemic racism, unconscious bias from non-Black people, police harassment/brutality/murder, socioeconomic inequality, and conflict with people who are fueled by racist ideologies and backed by legal systems that often fail Black people. These issues are exacerbated for Black people who fall into multiple marginalized groups, including those who are trans, gender nonconforming, or do not fit into a neat cisheteronormative box.

The pressure of navigating a society that is inherently anti-Black and the constant cycle of violence against Black people often leads to psychological distress. According to the US Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, Black Americans are more likely to have feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and worthlessness than their adult counterparts. Black people are also more likely to be victims of serious violent crime, which can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). American Psychological Organization President Sandra L. Shullman’s recent statement about the mental health consequences of racial incidents states the serious health implications for Black people.

“We are living in a racism pandemic, which is taking a heavy psychological toll on our African-American citizens. The health consequences are dire. Racism is associated with a host of psychological consequences, including depression, anxiety and other serious, sometimes debilitating conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders. Moreover, the stress caused by racism can contribute to the development of cardiovascular and other physical diseases.”

The organizations who mobilize around combating social and political injustice towards Black people are currently getting a flood of support. This is a vital step to dismantling harmful social structures; however, it is equally imperative for people to ensure that organizations focusing on Black mental health are also receiving the vocal and financial support necessary to advocate for the health and wellness of Black people.

Here is a list of organizations and grassroots collectives to donate to and/or amplify that support for Black people’s mental and emotional well-being. Any further suggestions are welcome.

Organizations

Black Women’s Health Imperative

Founded: 1983
Based in: Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, GA

The Black Women’s Health Imperative is dedicated to improving the overall health and wellness of Black women and girls. Initiatives include fighting for affordable health care rates, mental health awareness, pre-diabetes education, advocacy and leadership programs for current HBCU women attendees, HIV prevention and treatment, and ending period shame.

Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective

Founded: 2017
Based in: Los Angeles, CA

Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective is a group of therapists, lawyers, religious leaders, teachers, psychologists, advocates, and activists working together for mental/emotional health and healing in the Black community. The collective provides a Black Virtual Therapist Directory for mental health services – a valuable resource for those who are in areas without support or who cannot see someone in person due to COVID-19.

Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective also provides professional development and training for activists, grassroots movements, and others on topics including mental health issues, emotional intelligence in leadership, unconscious bias, toxic elements of Black masculinity, mental health literacy, wellness for Black trans and GNC people, and healing and restorative justice.

Harriet’s Apothecary

Founded: 2014
Based in: Various Locations

Harriet’s Apothecary is a collective of Black womxn healers, health professionals, magicians, artists, activists, and ancestors from various generations who are creating accessible, affordable, inclusive, and loving community spaces for Black and other people of color to heal. The organization offers online and in-person events about spiritual strategies, healing, and holistic health as well as services like art therapy, essential oil therapy, thai yoga massage, spiritual divinations, and peer counseling sessions among many other offering.

Ethel’s Club

Founded: 2018
Based In: Brooklyn, NY/Digital

This online community offers Black and other people of color, regardless of gender expression and identity, a private membership club to have conversations about wellness and creativity. Club individuals are offered a space to celebrate, heal, and encourage each other to create. The organization also brings in mediation, yoga, and mental health professionals for special sessions.

Ethel’s Club is offering two free virtual group healing and grieving sessions led by licensed Black therapists for Black people on June 9 and June 23. Supporters can sponsor a membership for a Black person via their About page.

Therapy For Black Girls

Founded: 2014
Based in: Atlanta, GA

Therapy for Black Girls is an online community and podcast run by Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a psychologist, that encourages mental wellness for Black women and girls by breaking down stigmas around mental health diagnosis and therapy. Community members can use its director to find a therapist, guided affirmations, support, and conversations about issues that affect Black women and girl’s lives.

Therapy For Black Men

Founded: 2018
Based in: New York, NY

Therapy for Black Men offers therapy resources, coaching, and articles for Black men to work through trauma, stereotypes, and other vital issues that affect their self-image, self-worth, and mental stability. The space serves as a place where Black men can connect with and encourage each other.

Boris L Henson Foundation

Founded: 2018
Based in: Los Angeles, CA

Founded by actress Taraji P. Henson in honor of her father, The Boris L. Henson Foundation‘s goal is to change the way mental health is perceived in the Black community. The organization seeks to encourage mental health support in urban schools, increase Black therapists, and reduce the number of people who return to prison after release by offering mental health support to formerly incarcerated people. Current programs include COVID-19 free virtual therapy support as well as their ongoing rounds of free online therapy.

The Okra Project

Founded: c. 2019
Based in: New York, NY

The Okra Project‘s primary focus is preventing food insecurity for Black trans and gender nonconforming people by providing free meals. However, the collective has launched two new mental health funds to offer free mental health services to Black trans people in the wake of the recent murders of Tony McDade and Nina Pop, a Black trans woman who was murdered in Missouri. The Nina Pop Health Recovery Fund will raise money for Black trans women and the Tony McDade Mental Health recovery fund is for Black trans men. The Okra Project has donated $15K to each fund and are asking donors to match their donations.

National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network

Founded: 2016
Based in: Oakland, CA

The National Queer and Trans Therapists of America strives to provide quality mental health care to queer and trans people of color. The network offers a directory of mental health resources and the Mental Health Fund, which provides financial help to those who need it.

Melanin & Mental Health

Founded: 2018
Based in: Houston, TX

Melanin & Mental Health is a mental health resource hub with a listing of Black therapy professionals for Black and Latinx communities. The collective provides free resources and events to connect those in need with the right person in their location. Supporters can listen to the collective’s Between Sessions Podcast or purchase items from its online store.

Loveland Therapy Fund

Founded: 2018
Based in: Georgia

The Loveland Therapy Fund provides national assistance to Black women and girls seeking therapy services. The organization has partnered with National Queer & Trans Therapist of Color, Talkspace, Open Path Collective, and Therapy for Black Girls to provide a list of mental health professionals. Loveland Therapy Fund is apart of The Loveland Foundation, which offers fellowships, residency programs, and more to Black women and girls. Supporter can donate, start a giving circle with friends, or advocate for company on social media.

Black Men Heal

Founded: 2020
Based in: Ardmore, PA

Black Men Heal‘s mission is to offer free therapy and counseling resources to Black men and remove the stigmas around mental health. The nonprofit works with counselors who are willing to donate their time towards helping men in need. Black Men Heal accepts donations via Cash App and Paypal.

Generative Somantics

Founded: c. 2001
Based in: Oakland, CA

Generative Somantics supports social, accessibility, and climate justice movements by encouraging movement leaders, organizations, and alliances to engage the body to align actions with values and vision as well as healing the impact of trauma and oppression. The movement believes in following a transformative path with self-help and self-care to achieve goals. Generative Somantics lists several strategic priorities including freedom from political repression and state violence and building leadership among poor and working class communities of color. There are many ways to get involved, including donating and volunteering.

Featured Image: Eye for Ebony

The post These Organizations Support Black Mental Health & Wellness appeared first on Nerdist.

At the time of this writing, our minds are on the murder of 46-year-old Black man George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, and the ongoing legacy of systemic racism that has preempted the carryout of justice for crimes against people of color in the United States. The first half of 2020 alone saw the killings of Breonna Taylor at the hands of Louisville, Kentucky police officers, Ahmaud Arbery at the hands of white civilians in Brunswick, Georgia, and Tony McDade at the hands of police officers in Tallahassee, Florida.

In the immediate wake of Floyd’s death, demonstrations have taken way in cities around the country in protest of the murder of individuals like Floyd, Taylor, and Arbery, and of a justice system that has proved historically to devalue the lives and rights of Black people. Concurrently, organizations raise money to benefit the families of victims and the communities directly affected by these crimes and their aftermath; others work toward combatting and reforming a system founded on or mechanized by racist ideology.

Spiritually linked are acts of inhumanity against immigrants—particularly immigrants of color, Muslim immigrants, and Latinx immigrants, many of whom are subject to arbitrary seizure and imprisonment in uninhabitable detention centers—and trans and gender-noncomforming people—again, disproportionately affecting trans and gender-nonconforming people of color—waged by civilians, police, and the government. Ongoing efforts to contend with these American epidemics likewise take the form of demonstration and protest, community building, and volunteering of time and funding.

Though the method of aid deemed most constructive will vary among aspiring volunteers, none exists independent of the others. These causes need people on the front lines as well as those devoted to research, organization, and clerical work, not to mention the money to back operations of all sort. Below is a growing catalogue of organizations that can educate and involve you in one or more of these efforts towards positive change. We welcome further suggestions.

Urgent Fundraisers

You can donate to the official GoFundMe for the families of George Floyd, Amaud Arbery, and Tony McDade and sign and donate to the Change.org petition and fundraiser for Breonna Taylor. Additionally, you can donate to the National Bailout, likewise the Minneapolis Bail Fund (more information below), the Louisville Community Bail Fund, the Brooklyn Community Bail Fund, and the Colorado Freedom Fund, among many others.

Organizations

Audre Lorde Project

Founded in: 1994
Based in: Brooklyn, NY

A Brooklyn-based community center for lesbian, gay, bisexual, two spirit, trans, and gender-noncomforming people of color, devoted to fostering community and fighting institutions that target and oppress. Programs include TransJustice, which works to motivate the trans community toward political action, and 3rd Space, which aids the queer community in struggles with employment, education, health care, and immigration status. You can donate and get involved as a member.

Black Lives Matter

Founded in: 2013
Based in: Across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom

An activist movement that organizes against systems that oppress and inflict violence against the Black community, likewise to uplift Black community in the face of adversity. Most recently, Black Lives Matter has worked toward helping its community members affected by the coronavirus pandemic, as well as toward the investigation of crimes waged by the government department ICE. Black Lives Matter is an especial target of racist propaganda and false information, which you can help them combat from home. You can also donate.

Black Visions Collective

Founded in: 2017
Based in: Minneapolis–Saint Paul, MN

An organization that campaigns for Black liberation and the betterment of the Black community across the Twin Cities. You can follow their work and donate.

Color of Change

Founded in: 2005
Based in: Oakland, CA; New York City, NY; Hollywood, CA; and Washington, D.C.

A racial justice organization that leads campaigns to challenge socioecomic injustice in Black communities. Recently, Color of Change has worked successfully towards causes like the ending of paid bail in Prince George’s County, MD, the dissolution of wedding aggregate sites’ relationships with plantation-based wedding venues, and the institution of a civil rights audit of Facebook. You can get involved as a member and donate.

Ear Hustle Podcast

Founded in: 2017
Based in: San Francisco, CA

A podcast that tells the stories of incarcerated people and former incarcerated people at the San Quentin State Prison. You can listen, subscribe, and donate.

Fight for the Future

Founded in: 2011
Based in: Worcester, MA

A group of technologists and artists targeting digital activism toward inclusivity and liberation, specifically looking to benefit “communities of color, low income people, religious minorities, political dissidents, LGBTQ people, and others who face systemic oppression.” Projects have involved the fight for net neutrality and against facial recognition technology. You can work for the group and donate.

LGBT Life Center

Founded in: 1989
Based in: Norfolk, VA

An organization working toward “improving health and wellness, strengthening families and communities, and providing transformative education and advocacy,” as well as housing, for queer and HIV-inflicted people and families. The LGBT Life Center maintains an ongoing calendar of (currently digital) community events, as well as a catalogue of varied resources. You can check out their blog and donate.

Minnesota Freedom Fund

Founded in: 2016
Based in: Minneapolis, MN

An organization that helps with immigrant bonds and unjust bails. At present, the MFF is cooperating with the National Lawyers Guild and Legal Rights Center to benefit protestors arrested in Minneapolis. You can volunteer to advocate, raise funds, manage bail payment, or work on the graphic design team. You can also donate to the Minnesota Freedom Fund, or to partnered organizations like the Black Visions Collective, the Northstar Health Collective, or Reclaim the Block (see below).

Movement for Black Lives

Founded in: 2014
Based in: Across the United States

An organization bent on mobilizing Black political power to contend with the corruption in institutions like the police department and the prison system, among others. Their Black Power Rising 2024 movement details a five-year plan for combating the establishment, and you can get involved on a more immediate level with efforts toward organization and outreach, as well as by donating.

National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network

Founded in: 2016
Based in: Oakland, CA

A network devoted to providing quality mental health care and the related resources for queer people of color. You can search (or join) the directory and donate.

New Sanctuary Coalition

Founded in: 2007
Based in: New York City, NY

An organization that helps refugees, who are often unable to find proper legal representation, through the asylum process of the court system. Volunteers may work closely with refugees to prepare forms and affidavits or accompany them to court. You can learn about remote volunteer opportunities and donate.

Reclaim the Block

Founded in: 2018
Based in: Minneapolis, MN

Per the organization’s website, Reclaim the Block “organizes Minneapolis community and city council members to move money from the police department into other areas of the city’s budget that truly promote community health and safety.” You can sign their new petition to invest in community-led safety solutions and donate.

The Sentencing Project

Founded in: 1986
Based in: Washington D.C.

An organization standing for reform in the U.S. criminal justice system by examining policies that disproportionately affect people of color. The Sentencing Project’s website is a treasure trove of information about the racial biases of standing law and is also a platform for visitors to support its varied actions. You may donate as well.

Showing Up for Racial Justice

Founded in: 2009
Based in: Across the United States

A multi-chaptered organization that connects people in and between cities on racial justice organization efforts. Campaigns have devoted effort toward ending the separating of immigrant families, fighting for disability justice, and more. You can read more about SURJ’s Theory of Change and donate.

Southerners On New Ground

Founded in: 1993
Based in: Atlanta, GA

Per SONG’s website, they “build, sustain, and connect a southern regional base of LBGTQ people in order to transform the region through strategic projects and campaigns developed in response to the current conditions in our communities.” You can become a member, participate in events, and donate.

Sylvia Rivera Law Project

Founded in: 2002
Based in: New York City, NY

Though currently closed, the Sylvia Rivera Law Project has established itself as one of New York’s foremost defenders of the rights and agency of trans and gender-noncomforming people. You can donate for when they are back up and running.

Trans Women of Color Collective

Founded in: 2003
Based in: New York City, NY

A group working to locate and build affirming spaces and leadership roles for trans and gender-noncomforming women of color. You can read about their work with the Healing and Restorative Justice Initiative and the Black Trans Health Initiative, among others, and donate.

TRANSgrediendo Intercultural Collective

Founded in: 2015
Based in: Jackson Heights, NY

A nationally recognized bilingual and multicultural movement that defends and promotes the human rights of the diverse Trans* and gender-diversity identity populations in the United States. There are a number of ways you can lend your talents to the cause.

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We’re living in perilous times. Every day of quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic is a little bit different, and it feels almost impossible to prepare for the day’s upcoming mood. But there’s one practice you can adopt that provides mindfulness, centeredness, and an ability to take everything one day at a time and to find your peace within those ever-changing tides: meditation.

I started meditating this year on the instructions of mental health professionals. It seemed a bit silly: sitting by myself, with all of my stress, and trying to let it all go. I’ve always considered myself something of a free-thinker, but meditation seemed beyond my jurisdiction—maybe something some people, who didn’t weather daily mental storms, could access. But not me. Still, I forced myself to do it so I’d have something to talk about in my next therapy session. And I was astounded at how quickly I felt the benefits of meditation.

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It’s not a cure-all. I still have bad days. So does anyone who practices meditation. But it’s still a beneficial practice that keeps things in perspective, and the best part: you don’t need to be an expert, or take any classes, or do anything all that special to get into it. It’s all about finding the program—be it app, video, or method—that works best for you.

Here are some simple ways you can get into meditation from the comfort of your home, no prior knowledge or studying required!

Choose a time to meditate

The best thing about meditation is that you can do it literally whenever, wherever. I’ve found it most effective to do first thing in the morning, right after I roll out of the bed. But if you already have a set morning routine you don’t want to disrupt, you can squeeze it into the day wherever it works best. And better yet, you can find guided meditations online that are tailored to the time of day you’re meditating.

It’s fun to experiment with a schedule at first to see where it best fits into your day. There’s no right or wrong way to meditate, nor can you meditate too few or too many times per day.

Download an app

One of the easiest ways of getting into meditation is via phone apps. There are so many great ones available for iOS and Android, including arguably the most popular one on the market: Calm. Voted the No. 1 app for sleep and meditation, Calm is an excellent way to find your way towards mindfulness. To get started, just download and open the app, which will prompt you with questions about your goals and what brings you to Calm. You can then customize your layout and select from different tools.

The Calm app can help you with sleep, including ASMR sessions and sleep stories—narrated bedtime stories from folks like Jerome Flynn and Stephen Fry—and also guided meditation sessions. There’s a huge selection and so much mindful fun to be had within the app. It’ll walk you through your first meditations and help you develop the right daily plan for you.

You can try Calm free for seven days; after that, it’s $60/year—in other words, $5/month, which is not bad for all of the great content the app provides.

Headspace 

Another popular meditation app is Headspace. Like Calm, this app lets you choose from different guided meditations. Before you get started, you can check out the Headspace website, which has a ton of foundational information about meditation, including the benefits and any other questions you might have. (“What is mindfulness?” “How can meditation improve self-esteem?” “How can I sleep better?”)

Once you feel comfortable, you can load the app and start with a free 10-day beginner’s course that guides you through the essentials of mindfulness and meditation. After that, Headspace costs $69.99 for a yearly subscription (which comes to $5.83/month) or $12.99 for a month-to-month plan.

Another meditation hack: If you’re an Audible subscriber, the audiobook app comes loaded with a ton of free meditations from MoveWith. (This is what I use, and it’s fantastic!) Select from time of day or different types of meditation; many of these focus on movement-based meditation, which help flood your body with endorphins and get your lymphatic system in gear for the day.

Seek out customizable sessions on YouTube

If you want to try out meditation but don’t feel comfortable putting money towards something you’re not sure you’ll stick to, worry not! YouTube is an excellent resource when you’re first getting started with meditation. And the best part, other than the whole free thing, is that you can tailor your meditations to your interests. Wanna find your way to zen like your favorite Star Wars characters? There’s a meditation video for that!

Want to wander the streets of Diagon Alley in your mind before bedtime? There’s a video for that too!

You can search almost any pop culture term plus meditation on YouTube and find a world of videos that will transport you into a fictional world. This is another excellent way to get into a practice you’re unfamiliar with.

Continue to experiment and expand 

Like I said before, there’s no right or wrong way to meditate, and it’s never worth stressing yourself out over. As long as you keep an open mind, chances are you’ll eventually land on a practice that works best for you. And once you learn the proper breathing tricks and tips, eventually you might not even need guided apps or videos, and will be able to find your centered place on your own.

Meditation is completely customizable, and can be a lot of fun once you start adding it to your life. Give it a whirl and see what works for you—you might be surprised at how it impacts your day and overall levels of mindfulness.

Featured Image: Lucasfilm

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Westworld’s latest episode offered fans a surprise crossover that nodded at a longstanding Game of Thrones theory. Dan breaks down all the details in today’s episode of Nerdist News!

What other crossovers would you like to see within Westworld? Let us know in the comments!

The post Did WESTWORLD and GAME OF THRONES Just Have A Crossover? (Nerdist News w/ Dan Casey) appeared first on Nerdist.

As we continue to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic, Nerdist is implementing a work from home policy in order to promote a safe, healthy work environment for all of its employees.

As such, Explainiac will go on hiatus for the foreseeable future until it is safe to resume production. This is not the end of Explainiac, just a break in the action. Dan and the Explainiac crew will still be working on things behind the scenes, safely at home.

We’ll still be producing Nerdist News from our homes so you can still get your fill of nerdy goodness. Make sure to get continuous coverage from Nerdist.com as well as check social media for updates about your favorite Nerdist shows. Stay safe and healthy!

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The wait is over and the third season of Westworld has officially begun! Dan breaks down the details on the premiere episode in today’s Nerdist News!

What are your predictions for this season? Let us know in the comments!

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John Wick is an international man of mystery, the MacGyver of murder, and a lover of adorable animals. By all accounts, he has led an incredibly sad life. But what if these gun fu-filled movies were actually a larger allegory about the stages of grief? Join Dan Casey on a brand new Explainiac as he dives in to the popular fan theory.

Source: http://bit.ly/2TIK88k

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With summer approaching and concerns over the coronavirus growing, several public events have already been impacted. While it is still months away, many fans might be wondering if or how this year’s San Diego Comic-Con could be effected. Luckily Dan is here to offer a few tips and guidelines to having a fun and safe convention season on today’s episode of Nerdist News!

The post COMIC-CON: Coronavirus Safety Guide for Conventions (Nerdist News w/ Dan Casey) appeared first on Nerdist.

After a two years, it’s finally almost time to return to Westworld! The latest trailer gives fans their closest look yet at the upcoming season, which promises plenty to be excited for. Sentient host Dan Casey guides you through all the details in today’s episode of Nerdist News.

What are your predictions for this upcoming season of Westworld? Let us know in the comments below!

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