Thaliya Martinez’s Post

Surprise! I wrote another book! I’m so pleased to do the cover reveal during Black History Month and it’s out on 22 October, just in time for the decline of western civilization. 🥰 Preorders in North America are open now (UK & Commonwealth are pending but you can request that it’s stocked at your local bookstore): https://lnkd.in/dRe9vQpP Help me spread the word! . My Pisces Heart: A Black Immigrant’s Search for Home Across Four Continents by Jennifer Neal With heart, humor, and razor-sharp observation, this intimate and incisive memoir traces the journey of a Black, queer woman as she searches the world for a place of security and acceptance to call home. “I’ve never seen home as a permanent concept; it is an image crafted from untempered glass that threatens to shatter with lack of care.” Jennifer Neal was born in the United States to a family that moved continuously for their own survival and wellbeing—from the Great Migration to modern day. Since growing up, she has continued to travel the world across two decades and four continents. As Jennifer moves from Japan to Chicago, Australia to Germany (where she has settled for now), she weaves her story of immigration with the local Black histories and politics to provide context for her experiences. A vulnerable and sometimes heart-breaking narrative, this book is both a tender tribute to immigrants and their stories as well as a searing indictment of how contemporary discourse endangers them. This generous personal record is both a crucial examination of how race plays the foundational role of modern-day immigration systems, as well as how racism is the true scourge sweeping across the world—crossing border walls and threatening global society. The result is an urgent tale of culture-shock and self-discovery, one that sheds light on the courage it takes for anyone to leave one land for another. An unwavering interrogation of colonialism and policy, love and loss, hypocrisy and resistance, My Pisces Heart demands meaningful conversation on not only the ways in which we live with our histories, but also how they live through us—urging an honest dialogue on why the West continues to grapple with its past, and visualize its future.

Our Book, The Paradox(es) of Diasporic Identity, Race and Belonging is coming soon. In this collection that combines experiential insights, literary criticism, and scholarly analyses, the contributors invite the reader to think about their being in place and time and the existential questions they inevitably have to confront regarding their sense of (un)belonging and place(lessness). It is a contemplation of the things they carry with them and those they leave behind; about loss and rebirth, and particularly so for the diasporic citizen who straddles the intersections of various borders in search of self; to become what is better, to get to the promised land or remain what they “always were”. The book challenges the reader to introspect and ponder on what they would be if they were not a citizen or resident of their country, a member of their family, community, or racial category? Who will you be without any form of conjectured identity? Or as James Clear asks: “When you spend your whole life defining yourself in one way and that disappears, who are you now? Most of the contributors (Chigbo Arthur Anyaduba, Dominic Aboi, Sabena Singh, Ademola Ademola Adesola, Christiane Ndedi Essombe, Chuck Egerton, Tomi Oloke, Anoosh Soltani, Adey Mohamed, Alka Kumar, and Catherine M. Wafula) have experienced various forms of physical and psychological migration as students or faculty at higher institutions of learning in Africa, North America and elsewhere. We bring attention to how people forge relationships and learn from others in their localities while recognizing their incompleteness. We underscore the importance of black storytelling in North America, particularly in Canada, which as Afua Cooper observes, “is a drama punctuated with disappearing acts.” Here's the link for pre-order and more information: https://lnkd.in/ddNjwagh

Black history is more than a month. It’s an every day experience. Don’t focus on the to-do or the check box. We’re not a “to-do” list. Being in South Africa is confirming the need to live and leave a legacy w/o waiting for permission. For those living while Black, protect your peace. For others, stand with us to protect our peace. Here are 5 things to NOT do during BHM: ✊🏻Tokenize Black professionals ≠ equity ✊🏼Dismiss or minimize experiences (BLM) ✊🏽Believe belonging isn’t your responsibility ✊🏾Straddle which side of history you stand on ✊🏿Only celebrate #blackhistory for one month P.S. Did I miss anything on the NOT to-do list? --- P.S.S. Was this a good word? Share ♻️ Content? Click → #doseofdominique Book? bio.dominiquepritchett.com [Picture: Constitutional Hill. Johannesburg, South Africa. 2024]

💬Today, we celebrate the legacy of Black Linguists all over the world.     As Maya Angelou once said, "Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with shades of deeper meaning." Language, far more than just words and grammar, serves as a mirror reflecting our ideas, perspectives, and identities. 💪    From historical roots to contemporary influences, the evolution of dialects tells a story of resilience, creativity, and unity. Black linguists have made invaluable contributions, illuminating the path towards a profound comprehension of language as a true reflection of culture and heritage.    🫂 Language is alive, evolving with time, place, and the people who use it. As we celebrate Black History Month, let's remember that our words carry the weight of our histories, the vibrance of our cultures, and the essence of our identities.     #PoweringConnection #AdAstraConnects #Unity #DiversityInclusion #CelebrateDiversity #Language 

Drawing from law, literature, history, philosophy, and popular culture, 2023 #MacFellow Imani Perry explores how Black Americans have resisted, survived, and thrived by forging singular paths in the face of oppression and injustice. Imani has described her work as, "An effort to haunt the past by honoring the nobility of the disregarded." In this clip, she speaks about how history as a field of study often fails to account for the myriad resources and stories of Black people, and how she uses ingenuity and creativity to illuminate often overlooked facets of historical and contemporary culture. Learn more about her work. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gpGtxd2z __ #Juneteenth #history

“Juneteenth is a celebration of just one way that Black people either created freedom or found it, often on their own terms. What we acknowledge this Juneteenth must be about more than what was given. It must be about what had already been claimed." -Daina Ramey Berry “The Truth About Black Freedom,” The Atlantic, June 19, 2023. Yesterday, as ICW Consulting Group observed Juneteenth, we were once again reminded of the importance of historical and ongoing liberative work. We celebrate the achievements of the African American community and took Juneteenth as an opportunity to pause and note the past, present, and potential future work of emancipation. In that spirit, ICW recognizes that our individual and collective freedoms are intertwined and remains committed to the work still needed to address anti-Black racism and structural inequality. In our Juneteenth reflections two quotes came to mind: --> “As we celebrate this day, we pray for the strength to stand against oppression, the wisdom to seek justice, and the compassion to build a world where all people are free and treated with dignity and respect.” -Rabbi Sandra Lawson -->“How wonderful it is that no one need wait a single moment to start to improve the world.” -Anne Frank In ICW's commitment to building on stories lived, stories told, and futures created, we remember that our task is to continue the work together.

Our next featured Black artist is Dr. Samella Lewis. Dr. Lewis was the first African American woman to receive her doctorate in Fine Arts and Art History and founded the first African American-owned art publishing house as well as the Museum of African American Art in Los Angeles and the International Review of African American Art. (Source: The Fanciful Lobster) Alt text: Graphic that reads "Dr. Samella Lewis - I See You. I See You explores the ongoing complexities of race relations in the 21st century. Set against a black ground, the figure's face is defined by areas of white paper that remain uninked, the areas that Lewis has carved away from the block. In other words, the figure's visual presence is established through whiteness, much as the white perspective has been the predominant influence on American popular culture, including perceptions of otherness... Yet the print is less straightforward than it appears. As the viewer moves further away from the work, the whiteness dissolves into a grayscale, suggesting the mutual influences of black and white culture on one another. The creation of culture, it reminds us, is rarely a one-way exchange, but a dialogue, even if that dialogue is often unacknowledged or undermined, as is the case in cultural appropriation."

Mapping Black Europe is a book by Prof Natasha A Kelly and Prof Olive Vassell. It maps out *Black history throughout Europe*. They are currently designing an online class that accompanies the open source book. Right now, they collect feedback to their envisioned learning classes. I completed the trial module and the survey, and I can only recommend it. You quickly learn important facts and discussions around Black history in Belgium and support the project 💡 You can take the trial module and complete the survey until *9th November*, so don’t miss out: https://lnkd.in/dixt3BPs   In the context of African #diaspora studies, it made me think how to conceptualise Black struggles in relation to African diasporas, are they the same or should we differentiate? What makes Black communities part of African diasporas and vice versa? Let me think about it…  

The Shocking Reality of Disrespecting Black Culture: A Lesson on Juneteenth In this eye-opening video, we discuss the repercussions of disrespecting black culture and delve into the significance of Juneteenth. Join us as we unravel the ignorance and consequences faced by those who fail to understand and appreciate the struggles of black history. #RespectBlackCulture #JuneteenthAwareness #BlackHistoryMatters #CulturalAppreciation #EducateYourself #IgnoranceConsequences #DiversityandInclusion #SocialAwareness #UnityInDiversity #CelebrateBlackCulture

Today we Celebrate Juneteenth! As a Black designers and storytellers, we recognize the power of storytelling to preserve our history and inspire change. On this Juneteenth, we acknowledge the profound role that storytelling and oral histories have played in the African American, relying on word of mouth to pass down our stories, traditions, and lessons learned. These stories were a source of strength and resilience, and they helped to keep their spirits alive. After the Emancipation Proclamation was issued in 1863, it took years for some enslaved people to learn of their freedom. Despite the many challenges, the news of freedom eventually spread through word of mouth. Former slaves shared the news of change. Today, we celebrate the power of storytelling and oral histories. We recognize the importance of preserving our history and sharing our stories with the world. On this Juneteenth, let us recommit ourselves to using our voices and our platforms to amplify the voices of the marginalized and to create a more just and equitable society. #Juneteenth #BlackStorytelling #PowerOfStorytelling