TeenBloc

Coalition of student leaders and organizers engaged in making positive change in Pittsburgh Public Schools whose purpose is to raise the student voice and create positive change. Students created a Student Bill of Rights in which board members voted to have the rights adopted.

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Season 2 Episode 3

You know we had to slip in one final podcast for 2016.

In this episode, we covered hot topics like Trevor Noah caping for Tomi Lahren, our problematic faves, post election school climate, and much more.

#Naturalhair folks, make sure you tune in to our Black Excellence interview with Tamiah Bridgett of Diversame starting at 17:58. This dope sister is revolutionizing natural hair care and had great advice for black girls: "Pay attention to the things you are gifted in, not what looks like the path to success."

Shout out to Kelis Campbell and @Ahmari Anthony for putting in work ;). Click the link to listen and let us know what you think. https://soundcloud.com/youthexpress/teenbloc-s2-e3

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(B&W photo credit: Njaimeh Njie, Power(ed) by Grace series)

This week’s #WarriorWednesday is Pittsburgh based producer @en_jay_me. Njaimeh Njie(she/hers) is a 27 year old creative whose method of resistance is truth telling.  As a modern day griot, she is curating an archive of stories from the most overlooked populations. Whether behind a camera, via a keyboard or standing at a rally, Njaimeh is documenting the lived experiences of oppression and the triumph that comes with self-designed agency.

Njaimeh’s journey began in Pittsburgh, where she was born and raised. After graduating from Washington University, St.Louis became home as she taught high school English for three years while obtaining her master’s in Secondary Education. The pursuit of her dreams has returned Njaimeh to her Pittsburgh roots where she now helms her company, Eleven Stanley Productions, which “was created to serve populations that often get misrepresented, or even ignored in the media.” In centering young people, people of color and marginalized peoples, the world has now become her classroom and school is definitely in session.

Njaimeh launched Eleven Stanley as an answer to the glaring void of diversity in mainstream media making. The company offers a range of services from documentaries to portraits to promos and much more. At every opportunity, she seeks to uplift other black woman media makers. At the launch party, Njaimeh screened the first 2 episodes of the instantly addictive HBO series Insecure from the magical Issa Rae.(If you haven’t already, you should get into this asaptually.)

An example of Njaimeh’s work is Powe(ed) by grace, a digital sacred space which takes a closer look at the musings of black womanhood. Using videos, portraits and the written word, PBG carefully enters the space of a black woman’s heart and holds up the struggle, power and grace within. The series begins by documenting the origins of the black women and girls featured and journeys from the mundane to the poignant, weaving a thread of commonality throughout. This series garnered national media attention and was featured on several sites including #Blavity and #TheHuffingtonPost. 

To experience Njaimeh’s work is to see and know her heart for folks on the margins. We salute Njaimeh and look forward to her future endeavors. You can learn more about her work (and #giveyourmoneytoblackwomen) here: njaimehnjie.com & elevenstanley.com  

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Check out Yara’s speech about the importance of representation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=by0xMAXqnVc

Lategram: TeenBloc’s choice for this #TeenTalentTuesday is 16 year old Yara Shahidi. She is best known for her roles in Imagine That and Blackish, but Shahidi is also a model and activist. She is Minneapolis native, and proud of her African American and Iranian heritage. She says that her passion for activism came from her parents. “I’m surrounded by humanitarians. My family is full of rebels, and in this day and age, the rebellious thing to do is to care about other people, and pour your all into activism for your community.” She is in the process of starting her own mentoring club called “Yara’s Club,” as well as participating in feminist events and encourages girls to become involved in STEM. 

While acting is not the only or main career Shahidi would like, she appreciates her ability to play a unique character such as Zoe (from Black-ish), and be a part of a project that contributes to positive black representation on television. “Art plus activism in any and all forms is a powerful statement that can spread a message that transcends the barriers and limitations of our different realities to reveal the commonality of our shared human existence,” she said. Yara Shahidi is our pick for #TeenTalentTuesday because of her passion and love for girls, as well as her success in acting, modelling, public speaking, and academics. Her well-roundness and wisdom inspires us.

Ella Baker Intern: Ahmari

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It’s #TeenTalentTuesday and this week’s feature is a renaissance girl for sure. Mariah Fowlkes is a rising junior at Perry High School who is extremely talented. She’s a singer and artist and has even played basketball. She’s been singing since before she could remember. Mariah sings anywhere she can: festivals, gatherings, and other events. She also performed in Perry’s production of The Wiz. Mariah said she plans on singing professionally in the future.

Mariah’s friends exposed her to Indian culture and the practice of henna and she immediately loved it. Mariah said it took her awhile to become comfortable with doing it on someone else.  “A month into doing it on myself, people began to notice it and liked it”. She finally decided to open it up to anyone who wanted one. She also loves to draw and she is currently writing a book about her life.

The future is bright for Mariah and you should check out her singing and henna pics. You can find her singing videos on YouTube: https://youtu.be/CjCbfV1oj0Y

IG: Riahrapz

Facebook:Mariah Fowlkes

Ella Baker Intern: Cici

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If you’re looking for a chill, alternative sound, “Drop” by Chloe and Halle Bailey is our song for this week's #MusicMonday. This song is featured on the girls' debut EP, “Sugar Symphony,” which is now available for purchase. https://youtu.be/YbRl8BLILmI

The two sisters, 18 year old Chloe and 16 year old Halle, began their careers in show business by acting. During this time, they started their YouTube channel where they posted acoustic covers of pop songs, including the “Pretty Hurts” cover that would jumpstart their music career. The video earned them a call from Ellen and a spot in Disney's Next Big Thing competition, which they won.

Later, Chloe and Halle moved to LA where they would continue to write lyrics, play piano and guitar, make their own beats, and record their own music. The two have gathered a large fan base during the course of this journey, including First Lady Michelle Obama, for whom they have performed twice. They’ve also captured the attention of  Beyonce, who has taken them under her wing and signed them to her label, Parkwood Entertainment. Most recent, the girls returned to their roots and posted a cover of Desiigner's “Timmy Turner,” which went viral as well.

Currently, the duo is accompanying Beyonce on the European leg of her tour as an opening act. They are also in the process of selecting songs to feature on their first full length album. These girls are not only amazingly talented and creative in many mediums, but they also have an active voice in the managing process. Their father is their manager and he expects them to speak for themselves on conference calls with talent scouts, producers, etc. Chloe and Halle are artistic, business-oriented examples of #BlackGirlMagic.

Ella Baker Intern: Ahmari

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Saturdays at Teen Bloc are #SayHerName Saturdays. Since our staff this summer is all black women, we take one day out of the week to memorialize our sisters whose lives have been lost to police brutality. This week, we honor Janisha Fonville. Fonville had been diagnosed with a mood disorder and depression and during an argument, her girlfriend Korneisha Banks, believed that Fonville may attempt to hurt herself. So she called the police. When two officers arrived to handle what was officially deemed a domestic dispute, Banks warned them of the knife. From here, the two stories differ, but in the end, only a few minutes later, 20 year old Fonville was shot. She died from a gunshot wound to the chest, fired by Officer Anthony Holzhauer, on February 18th of 2015. This was his third shooting in the five years he has served as an officer. The shooting was being investigated internally, and TeenBloc could not locate the results of or any updates on this investigation. Her story calls attention to the injustices that black people living with mental illnesses face. Although Janisha had been previously hospitalized for self-harm and the officers were warned that she was a danger to herself, they gunned her down instead of trying to diffuse the situation or help her. Black people with mental illnesses are not given the same kindness, patience, or sympathy that others receive. It is also important to acknowledge that Janisha was lebsian. Her sexuality orientation, gender, and mental illnesses attribute to her marginalization and invisibility, even within our own community. We must demand better for black people, including the black LGBTQ+ community and black people struggling with mental health issues, and we must do better by them ourselves. #AllBlackLivesMatter

Ella Baker Intern: Ahmari

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Ella Baker Intern: Ahmari

My name is Ahmari, my preferred pronouns are she, her, hers and I'm 17. I'm a rising senior at Shady Side Academy. My family consists of my two little sisters, one younger brother, my mom and my dad. I love food, especially chicken and lemonade. My favorite things to do are read, write, watch movies, listen to music, and to be outdoors. I'm interested in pursuing sociology and/or journalism in college. I hope to one day to use my passion for learning, social justice, and working with youth to impact the world.

I also dream of publishing a book.I enjoy writing short stories and poetry. I am also really interested in psychology and philosophy. I enjoy fighting for equity in every sense of the word. I am a member of my school's Diversity Leadership Council, and I have been a member of our Black Student Union for three years;co-president my junior year and this upcoming year. If I could pick one celebrity who embodied my style and personality, I would pick Amandla Stenberg or Yara Shahidi but I aspire to be like Maya Angelou. An interesting fact about me is that I have 3 ½  fake teeth.

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Ella Baker Intern: Sam

My name is Samantha, aka Sam and I am a 16 year old senior at Perry high school. I'm outgoing and very outspoken. I'm from the Northside of Pittsburgh and I'm the youngest of 6. My favorite color is purple. Some things that I am passionate about are volleyball, being a dance team member on the marching band, and being the first baseman on the softball team.

Some things I'm proud of is that I'm the founder of Perry's Black Student Union. The goal of the BSU is to set a bar that students can meet or surpass to bring Perry back to what it used to be. I am actively apart of Perry's organized group called student voice, a group designed to help students express themselves to staff and other people outside of the school's walls .

My strengths are that I take on challenges well and that I strive to be better than I was the day before by taking on such task give me challenges that are hard sometimes. Joining teenbloc in October of 2015 has been life changing. I've learned so many things that I can take with me in life, such as finding my chill when I get over excited, active listening, and embracing my #BlackGirlMagic.

I want to be a physical therapist because I'm good at healing people and getting them healthier. My goal is to become a physical therapist after majoring in physical therapy at Slippery Rock  University.

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Ella Baker Intern: Allie

My name is Alleah Rose but almost everyone calls me Allie. I’m eighteen years old and I prefer the pronouns she/her/hers. One thing I like about myself is that I’m extremely friendly and open minded. Something I need to work on would be controlling my anxiety instead of letting it control me. Even with the stress, I’m really grateful to be alive. I’m not religious but my faith in God is stronger than my faith in anything of this world.

My favorite genres of music are rap, alternative, and soul but I’m open minded to all genres. Some of my favorite artists and bands are: Vic Mensa, Erykah Badu, The Internet, Kendrick Lamar, Hiatus Kaiyote and Chance The Rapper. I also really like to paint and write/perform poetry. Some of the people that inspire me are Kara Walker, Maya Angelou and Saidu Tejan-Thomas. I consider myself an artist and an organizer for social justice. I came out of the womb with a paintbrush but I found an interest in activism about two years ago when I started spending time with my friend Senque.

I’ve lived in Oakland all of my life, right in the center of my city, so I’m used to the city life compared to my friends that live in the outskirts of Pittsburgh. I’m a rising freshman at Point Park University, majoring in Business and minoring in Cultural Studies.  I plan on transferring my sophomore year to a school in either Philadelphia, Washington D.C. or New York because I’m ready to be around new people and see things I’ve never seen before. I’m extremely interested in using my major to learn how to build and maintain black businesses in  a world that doesn’t cater to them. I believe that the key to black success is self sustainability in all of its forms (ie. education, economy, politics, social connections).

I served as  president of my high school’s Black Student Union and I’ve been a part of student activist programs like TeenBloc, Hill District Consensus Group and Youth Undoing Institutional Racism for several years. After spending years learning about black girl pushout and the redundancy of respectability and the power of youth facilitation, I found liberation inside of myself. I hope to use those connections and lessons to lead other young people to find their own as well.  

I’m excited about starting my newest project dedicated to the empowerment of black women. Sisterhood means the world to me and I plan to show the world its value too. My project has allowed me to see my privileges, especially having fairer skin and I’m using it to propel all of my sisters into a platform of positive power. I don’t know all that the future has in store for me but I have faith that I will do nothing but continue to grow with leaves wide enough to provide shade for those coming behind me.

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Ella Baker Intern: Nia aka Jim

My name is Nia (she,her), but I like to call myself Jim.

I'm 15 years young and I'm the oldest of 5 siblings. I attend Penn Hills Senior High.

Something about me is that I'm a goofy but shy girl and I like to make people laugh. Don't get me wrong though, I know when to be serious and when to be goofy. I'm very spontaneous. When I graduate high school, I want to attend The University of Pittsburgh.

I have been part of TeenBloc for two years I think working with TeenBloc is fun and educational because we have fun but learn things at the same time. Last year I learned how to organize and about the Black Lives Matter Movement and then I shared that information with my younger siblings.

Another program I am involved in is called BFLDI (Black Female Leadership Development Institute). In this program, young girls are gathered from grades 7-12, from different schools around the city of Pittsburgh to learn how to be leaders for other black girls. We meet twice a month or we have a retreat. At these retreats and other times, we meet and listen to speakers. We also had African and hip hop dancing and a self defense class. I received a scholar award for my achievements in school. In 20 years I see myself as a Gynecologist.

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Ella Baker Intern: Cici

My name is Cici and my preferred gender pronouns are she/her. I  am 17 years old and I attend Perry High School. I am also an outspoken goofy black girl that doesn't let anyone get to me. I'm a girly girl so I love jewelry, getting my nails done, shopping, and hanging with my friends. I also love food. Mashed potatoes and corn are my favorite. I just love vegetables.

Some of my goals in life are to finish high school, graduate college, and then get a job to start my nursing career. I want to go to college to become a registered nurse because I love helping people. I enjoy doing vital signs and checking on patients. I want to work with seniors and kids. I'm  a very caring person because I care for a lot people.

My experience with TeenBloc was different for me than in other programs that I am in. TeenBloc is a place where black girls can talk about anything whether it is personal or not. We talk about whatever we want without being shut out or shut down. We care for each other.

I think this is what makes TeenBloc a very good program. What I learned from TeenBloc is that black girls matter. This means black girls matter and we shouldn't be pushed out of school or treated differently.  This is important because we are young teenage girls and we should matter.I matter because it's not being announced people don’t see why I matter. Another thing I learned in TeenBloc is that there are different games you can play to solve problems. One game we play is like a juggling game we throw seven balls and say someone's name and keep all the balls in the air. This game accomplishes multitasking and learning people's name.

This is my bio about me and what I want to do in life and some of my accomplishments.

#black girl magic#

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Ella Baker Intern: Kelis 

My name is Kelis and my preferred gender pronouns are she/hers. I'm 16 and will be going to the 11th grade at Obama Academy. I’ve lived in Pittsburgh my whole life and I don't really plan on leaving. Everything I could possibly need is in Pittsburgh. It's big enough that there's always something to do, but small enough where I can just chill. Plus, my family is here and I don't know what I would do without them.

  I am the oldest of three kids. My brother’s name is Eric and my sister’s name is Kayla. We argue like regular siblings, but they are truly my best friends. My dad says all of the time that we’re all we got and I’ve never heard anything more true. If the world doesn't have their back, I do, and that’s all that matters.

    People describe me as goofy, but I just like to laugh. I’m the type of person that just keeps the mood light because being happy is a lot easier than being upset. Don't get me wrong, I know when I have to be serious, but the majority of the time, you'll catch me laughing. When I meet new people, I have to warm up to them.   

    I don't have a lot of free time during the week so I don't watch much TV. My favorite shows also tend to change depending on what's on during the time or what was just updated on Netflix.  As of right now, my favorite show is Are You The One. It's a dating show that comes on  MTV and I have no clue why I watch it.  They take 20 people and put them in a house together to find true love. The catch is that everybody has a confirmed perfect match in the house that they have to find. I tend to watch a lot of corny TV shows, but I guess that's just what I like.

    My dream job is to be a music producer, but I’ll probably end up with a career related to law. In middle school, my gifted teacher told me I should be a civil rights attorney, and that got me interested in law a lot more. I took her debate class and joined the Youth and Government Club in High School; these things only furthered my interest. My grandma likes to say that a career in law would be great for me because I talk a lot. She is one hundred percent right because I’ve never enjoyed a class more than I did debate class. Being able to argue for what I believe in but then also having to challenge myself by defending something I disagree with was more fun that I could have imagined.

    I honestly don’t know where the future will take me but I’m looking forward to the trip. My main goal in life is to be happy no matter what.  I don't want to be the  person with money and no happiness. Money doesn't buy happiness, just look at Donald Trump. He's rich but also a miserable old man. I guess we can call my life...The Pursuit of Happyness.

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Our second #TeenTalentTuesday feature can also fit into our #MusicMonday moment. 

Langston "Thurgood" Brentley, 17 is a recent graduate of Pittsburgh Barack Obama Academy of International Studies and an artist. He is not only a rapper but  also performs spoken word and poetry. Thurgood creates a style of music that any age group can listen to. Anyone can vibe with his culturally-conscious, uplifting  music and not feel uncomfortable with anything that he is representing or saying in a song. He’s very in tune with his roots and acknowledges his African brothers and sisters throughout most of his songs. Thurgood doesn’t follow the wave of trap music, drugs, and violence. He does his own thing and is what more artists should aspire to be like.

We look forward to hearing new music from him, and if you want to stay updated you can find him on Soundcloud under Langston Thurgood. 

https://soundcloud.com/thurgoodthepoet/thankful-ft-imani-jai

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#TeenTalentTuesday

Every Tuesday, TeenBloc spotlights a teenager who's been pushing culture forward, influencing others and simply expressing their individuality. Representation is a huge part of culture building and we think it's important to give black girls another platform to expose their talents. We’ve kept our eyes open and today we are shouting out Patience Royal, a musician, model and an artist. We think she’s a multitalented underdog that deserves more recognition for her hard work and talents.

She's taken over Facebook with her smoldering looks and her poppin afro and she’s even made music with @1hood. She currently models for Pittsburgh based stylist Imani Jahaan. (You can find her online boutique at imanijahaan.com.) We hope that she continues to shine and be a guiding light for other young people not only around Pittsburgh, but also across the country. You can find Patience’s work on YouTube and Facebook and see exactly what we are talking about!

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We cannot afford to leave our girls at the margins of our concerns. #blackgirlsmatter #whywecantwait http://thndr.me/4zwpRl

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#BlackGirlsMatter

I just supported #BlackGirlsMatter on @ThunderclapIt // @Teen_Bloc

I just supported #BlackGirlsMatter on @ThunderclapIt // @Teen_Bloc

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Poetry in Motion…