Big changes ahead! I’m moving again—studio and all.
I’m in the process of relocating my home and studio across the country (hopefully for the last time in a long while). As always, it’s bittersweet to leave friends and family behind.
To lighten the load and help fund the move, I’m offering 35% off all artwork—use code: MOVE1 at checkout. If there’s a piece you’ve had your eye on or want to talk about a specific painting, I’d love to hear from you.
Thanks so much for your continued support—it means the world.
My family is from Nigeria, and my full name is Uzoamaka, which means “The road is good.” Quick lesson: My tribe is Igbo, and you name your kid something that tells your history and hopefully predicts your future. So anyway, in grade school, because my last name started with an A, I was the first in roll call, and nobody ever knew how to pronounce it. So I went home and asked my mother if I could be called Zoe. I remember she was cooking, and in her Nigerian accent she said, “Why?” I said, “Nobody can pronounce it.” Without missing a beat, she said, “If they can learn to say Tchaikovsky and Michelangelo and Dostoyevsky, they can learn to say Uzoamaka.”
I’ve worked with many exchange programs on campuses, and they still “encourage” Chinese students to choose English names for their stay in the US. I’ve adopted a rule for myself, I won’t address them with their English name until they’ve told me to stop trying their real name on at least three different occasions. My family is largely immigrant, and while we’ve never had this problem, I don’t think anyone should have to change who they are when them find a new home, even a temporary one. So far, only two exchange student actually wanted to keep their English name, and one of them, Alice, had had Alice for a nickname since she was little.
Don’t know if it’s okay to add this here, but I used to work with a Chinese woman who had changed her name to Angelina for the sake of ease. When she first told me that was what she’d had to do, I asked her for her real name and if she minded me calling her that. She looked so frikkin happy, and it only took about two minutes for me to say it right. It’s not that people can’t pronounce these names, it’s that they won’t. It’s lazy and it’s rude.
For the the first time in millions of black children’s lives, they got to see themselves as both warrior and king. Your contribution to the culture was invaluable. You truly were the hero of an entire generation. Wakanda forever and ever and ever king. Rest easy.
black people, please take care of yourselves. please take care of your health. please take care of your mind. please take care of your spirit.
i understand if your soul is not at peace. i understand if you are exhausted. just, please take care of yourselves in these dark, hateful times and surround yourself with people who understand why.
Pop star Lizzo becomes the latest to promote the problematic fetishization of a culture other than their own.
*NOTE- I haven't seen these Lizzo photos much less keep up-to-date with mainstream music(videos) to know a lot about her outside of body diversity topics, radio songs, & her awards so here is my unbiased, straightforward opinion on the matter as a whole. And I am speaking in general-
If you don't like the fact that your own culture was normalized in a society that doesn't include you, be respectful and don't do the same to others. IDC what the excuse is. (This excludes the "hip-hop & anime discussion") I'm talking 500+ year old culture still thriving today that is being accessorized for likes and shock value. This doesn't mean you can never be involved in another culture.
Example: The dashiki and west-African prints became a trend for a short period of time around late 2017-2018. These items/designs ended up in fast fashion shops like Forever 21 and ripped off by online companies the world over. Black people across multiple countries were mad to see them so casually and of low quality tossed around for quick money. Eventually they became outdated and people moved on to other ethnic trends- hakama, kimono, obi, geta, qi pao, Chinese New Year, etc . Those upset have every right to be. It's costume-y and often times the ugliness does not help anyone believe their culture is being treated with respect.
Asian (specifically East) and Polynesian culture has been normalized in western societies to a point that nobody cares who takes what and how they interpret it. Now that these communities have a bigger voice I believe it is not just fair, but right to take it further and finally acknowledge the unwanted use of their designs, religion, language by outsiders. Especially those who demand the same respect.
Obviously this does not include those "invited into the culture". I previously mentioned on a past "appropriation vs appreciation" post that an entire ethnic community can not invite nor dis-invite you. It's the individual company you keep or don't keep. If you take the time to learn a culture, with-out people of said culture involved and represent it in the most common-sense way, it still is not appropriation. I know white women in several countries who have dedicated their lives to researching, maintaining and cataloging Japanese kimonos. And while the average person may have a knee-jerk reaction to seeing these particular white women in kimono's, in Japan and attending events, there are Japanese people who know who they are and respect them because they honor the kimono by treating it with respect and decorum.
I am fully aware of various aspects of white-centered racism. I am also fully-aware of the back n forth battle between (east)-Asian and the black(African) community so I do my best to treat issues carefully.
My opinion on her photos does not matter. I am nowhere close to being any kind of Asian. My love for the various elements of said cultures does not make me (more) qualified to speak on and above this matter. That doesn't mean we can't listen to those like her explain their choices for the concepts and believe she wasn't being malicious. That also does not absolve her from actual insensitive & hypocritical behavior. At some point people have to come to terms with giving back the culture their society took for their own. Just because you are used to seeing it in society and has been normalized doesn't mean it's up-for-grabs.
Further more, if you are not properly educated in being able to pick-apart and I.D every variable of said accusation you have no right to form an opinion and chastise another for what you think aka assume is happening. Please ask questions and be open for back and forth dialogue with others so we can improve our relationships and see common themes with-in each others culture.
My mom didn’t know what thot meant (she thought it was something like “lazy”) and my brother kept putting off taking out the trash and she called him a thot and he looked so betrayed
sure, when my grandfather fought nazis and fascism he was “a hero” and “on the right side of history” but when i do it im “way too sensitive” and “no better than they are”
Via @sparklyfawn . A special #drawingwhileblack to warp up the last few days of #blackhistorymonth 💜🌻💜 . #blackart #representation #art #bhm #artDIVES #artDive #HUEmanCONTraST https://www.instagram.com/p/BuWqyvfhRHq/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1oeb1xwyqj7d5
Let me check my finances(I have very little) and schedule (I'm pretty much free! Let's consult my better half). Gonna keep myself available for my favorite dj. People's come thru!! You will have a lot of fun!!!💜🙏 . #DJZO #zommano #otr #otrvegas #sincity #Vegas #ontherecord #music #club #strip #ParkMGM #hiphop #funk #edm #dance #rnb #streetkit (at On the Record at Park MGM Las Vegas) https://www.instagram.com/p/BuPfIMpBPvB/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1wslfwvqwrgu
