Zadry

"Just because we’re magic does not mean we’re not real.”

[officialcarloselgrande]

BEMBÉ Movie written and directed by Zayre Ferrer

Starring:

Nathaly Navarro

Mauro Castillo

Lex Lumpkin

Rafael Castillo

Fernando Huc

with Vico Ortiz

and a special appearance by Carlos El Grande

Bembé Movie Soundtrack available on ALL streaming platforms...y dice!!

[officialcarloselgrande]

Hermanos en la música | Brothers in Music

Un encuentro bonito fuera del set del cortometraje BEMBÉ con mi hermano en la música, el talentoso y dulce Mauro Castillo- orgullo colombiano.

Mauro es un artista que lo tiene todo— voz, presencia, y un corazón enorme. Empezó cantando con El Grupo Niche y hoy el mundo entero lo conoce como Félix en Encanto de Disney, ganador del Oscar y el Grammy. Como actor, ha construido una carrera impresionante a ambos lados del idioma.

🎞️ Foto / Photo (izq. a der. / L–R): Mauro Castillo (@maurocastillomc) & Carlos "El Grande" Ferrer (@officialcarloselgrande) 🇨🇴 & 🇵🇦

"REBELIÓN" — Mauro Castillo

"A MI TIERRA VOLVERÉ" — Mauro Castillo

A beautiful moment off the set of the short film BEMBÉ with my brother in music, the talented and kind Mauro Castillo- Colombian pride.

Mauro is an artist who has it all— voice, presence, and a huge heart. He came up singing with El Grupo Niche and today the whole world knows him as Félix in Disney's Encanto, an Oscar and Grammy winner. As an actor, he has built an impressive career on both sides of the language.

🎞️ Foto / Photo (izq. a der. / L–R): Mauro Castillo & Carlos "El Grande" Ferrer 🇨🇴 & 🇵🇦

📍 BEMBÉ Film Set. Los Angeles, CA. 6/8/2025

BEMBÉ Movie Trailer

Que Bueno Está El Ambiente — Carlos El Grande (BEMBÉ Movie Soundtrack)

BEMBÉ Movie Soundtrack available on ALL streaming platforms

[officialcarloselgrande]

BEMBÉ

Estoy muy orgulloso de Zayre y de este elenco increíble de BEMBÉ, que ahora es como una pequeña familia.

Gracias por permitirme ser parte de esta hermosa aventura.

Y un agradecimiento especial a los actores de fondo— también conocidos como La Orquesta Bembé (César Vásquez, Brooke Stone, Alex J Sherman, Ramesh Santanam y Willy Calderón) por traer ritmo y buena energía al set.

Fue un honor trabajar con cada uno de ustedes.

I’m so proud of Zayre and this amazing BEMBÉ cast that’s become a tiny little family.

Thank you for letting me be part of this beautiful adventure.

And a special thank you to the background actors—aka La Orquesta Bembé (César Vásquez, Brooke Stone, Alex J Sherman, Ramesh Santanam and Willy Calderón)—for bringing rhythm and good energy to the set.

It was an honor to work with all of you.

BEMBÉ Official Movie Trailer

BEMBÉ Movie Soundtrack

Bembé (Movie Soundtrack)

Ｆｏｔｏｓ　／　Ｐｈｏｔｏｓ

🎬 Foto/ Photo 1

Elenco de BEMBÉ/Cast of BEMBÉ: Mauro Castillo (@maurocastillomc), Vico Ortiz (@puertoricaninja), Rafael Castillo (@rafisodope), Fernando Huc (@fernandojhuc), Zayre Ferrer (@zayreferrer), Nathaly Navarro (@nathacfn) y Lex Lumpkin (@mrlexlumpkin).

🎬 Foto/ Photo 2 (📸 via Willy Calderon)

La Orquesta Bembé (izq. a der.)(L-R):

Brooke Stone (@missbrookestone) - bajo/bass

Alex J Sherman (@alexj_sherman) - trompeta/trumpet

Ramesh Santanam - bongo

Willy Calderón (@willycalderonofficial) - conga

César Vásquez - teclado/keyboard

🎬 Fotos/ Photos 3-4

Carlos "El Grande" Ferrer (@officialcarloselgrande) & La Orquesta Bembé en el set de BEMBÉ/on the set of BEMBÉ

📍 Los Angeles, CA. 6/8/2025.

[officialcarloselgrande]

BEMBÉ Movie Soundtrack

Aquí grabando con Luis Thomas (@ltmidas) en el mejor estudio del país: CNS Media Panamá (@cnsmediapanama).

Gracias a Christian (@christianthestahr) por los nuevos arreglos y a los músicos que le pusieron todo el sazón:

Ricky Salas (@ricky_salasc)

Roberto Ortega

Sammy Barrios

Germán "Chispa" Lawson (@chispabass06)

Jeison Noguera

Recording today with Luis Thomas at CNS Media Panamá, hands down the best studio in the country.

Thanks to Christian for the new arrangements, and to the musicians who brought the sazón: Ricky Salas, Roberto Ortega, Sammy Barrios. Germán “Chispa” Lawson and Jeison Noguera.

Ｆｏｔｏｓ　／　Ｐｈｏｔｏｓ

🎞️ Video 1: Carlos "El Grande" Ferrer (@officialcarloselgrande) grabando la voz para “Qué Bueno Está el Ambiente”, un tema del cortometraje BEMBÉ/laying down vocals for “Qué Bueno Está el Ambiente,” a song featured in the short film BEMBÉ.

🎞️ Foto/Photo 1 (izq. a der.)(L-R): Carlos "El Grande" Ferrer & Luis Thomas en los estudios CNS Media Panamá/at CNS Media Panamá recording studios.

🎞️ Fotos/Photos 2–4: Carlos "El Grande" Ferrer grabando música para el cortometraje BEMBÉ en los estudios CNS Media Panamá/recording music for BEMBÉ at CNS Media Panamá.

🎞️ Foto/Photo 5: Mi sobrina Yajani— toda una natural frente al micrófono. Gracias por llevarme al estudio/My niece Yajani— looks like a natural behind the mic. Thank you for the ride to the studio.

📍 CNS Media Panamá. Panamá City, Panamá.6/20/25.

BEMBÉ Movie Soundtrack

BEMBÉ Movie Trailer

[zadry]

Equality Hurdles

About equality and intersectionality and the blindness to the factors that influence it. Illustration by Emanu

[zadry]

"We must never be ashamed of our heritage. We must not be ashamed of the color of our skin. Black is as beautiful as any color and we must believe it.

And so every black person in this country must rise up and say I’m somebody; I have a rich proud and noble history, however painful and exploited it has been. I am black, but I am black and beautiful."

― Martin Luther King Jr

April 26, 1967 speech given at Glenville High School in Cleveland to an auditorium full of young, mostly black students.

📸 Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King family photos via Bernice A King on Instagram.

[zadry]

In My Words : MARTIN LUTHER KING JR

"Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a better person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in."

📸 Bettmann / Bettmann Archive.

King shaking hands with the crowd during the Freedom March on Washington, 1963.

"What is wrong in the world today is that the nations of the world are engaged in a bitter, colossal contest for supremacy."

📸 Frank Dandridge / Getty Images

King watches president Lyndon B. Johnson speak about the Selma to Montgomery March while in Selma, Alabama, in 1965.

"Even though it may be true that the law cannot change the heart, it can restrain the harvest. Even though it may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, it can restrain him from lynching me, and I think that’s pretty important also. And so while the law may not change the hearts of men, it can and it does change the habits of men. And when you begin to change the habits of men, pretty soon the attitudes will be changed."

📸 US National Archives and Records / Jordan J. Lloyd.

1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

"Don’t let anybody make you feel that you are nobody. Because the minute one feels that way, he is incapable of rising to his full maturity as a person. You know a lot of people have segregated minds and one of the first things that the Negro must do is to desegregate his mind."

📸 via Bernice A King on Instagram

“You know, a lot of people don’t love themselves. And they go through life with deep and haunting emotional conflicts. So the length of life means that you must love yourself. And you know what loving yourself also means? It means that you’ve got to accept yourself.”

📸 Flip Schulke / Flip Schulke Photography

[zadry]

"Every single black person that you see is a walking miracle"

―Kiesha Garrison

[zadry]

Zoe Saldaña wins first Golden Globe for her performance in Emilia Pérez | category: Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture

“Thank you so much to the Golden Globes for celebrating our film and honoring the women of Emilia Pérez. This is the first time for me, and I’m just so blessed that I’m sharing this moment with Selena and Karla and Jacque and all of my fellow nominees. I’m in awe of you, your strength, your complexity, and your undeniable talent.”

― Zoe Saldaña

📸 via Zoe Saldaña on IG

[zadry]

📷 via Beyonce.com

[zadry]

📷 via Beyonce.com

[zadry]

At the beginning of the year I made it a point to dedicate 2024 to reading & supporting more black writers. And I have to say it has been amazing! I discovered some wonderful stories. So with 2024 quickly wrapping up I thought I'd share some of my favorite reads of the year.

1. Jordan Ifueko's Raybearer world:

Raybearer

Tarisai, a young girl with the unique ability to glimpse the stories of others' lives through touch, grows up under the shadow of a magical wish imposed by her distant, absent mother. While she unravels the secrets of others, her own story remains a mystery yet to unfold.

Redemptor

For the first time in history, an Empress Redemptor rules from Aritsar’s throne. To quell the vengeful spirits of the dead, Tarisai must assemble her own council, embracing her full power as a Raybearer. Her ultimate test lies ahead: a journey into the Underworld, a selfless sacrifice to prevent future atrocities.

The Maid and The Crocodile

In the magic-infused capital of Oluwan, Small Sade is desperate for work—ideally as a maid for someone willing to overlook her unusual appearance and unlucky foot. However, her plans take an unexpected turn when she accidentally binds herself to the Crocodile, a formidable god infamous for devouring beautiful girls.

2. Ladarrion Williams / Blood at the Root

Debut novel

"A teenager on the run from his past finds the family he never knew existed and the community he never knew he needed at an HBCU for the young, Black, and magical."

Book 2 titled Bones at the Crossroads will be released July 2025

3. Alyssa Cole thrillers:

When No One Is Watching

"Sydney Green is Brooklyn born and raised, but her beloved neighborhood seems to change every time she blinks. Condos are sprouting like weeds, FOR SALE signs are popping up overnight, and the neighbors she's known all her life are disappearing. To hold onto her community's past and present, Sydney channels her frustration into a walking tour and finds an unlikely and unwanted assistant in one of the new arrivals to the block--her neighbor Theo."

One Of Us Knows

"The new caretaker of a historic estate finds herself trapped on an island with a murderer—and the ghosts of her past."

4. Akwaeke Emezi's Pet series:

Pet

Pet tells the story of Jam, a transgender teenager living in a society where adults have convinced themselves that monsters no longer exist.

Bitter

"A prequel to Emezi's Pet, Bitter tells the story of a Black teenage girl living in a city troubled by constant protests and violence."

5. Justina Ireland / Rust in the Root

"It is 1937, and Laura Ann Langston lives in an America divided—between those who work the mystical arts and those who do not. Ever since the Great Rust, a catastrophic event that blighted the arcane force called the Dynamism and threw America into disarray, the country has been rebuilding for a better future. And everyone knows the future is industry and technology—otherwise known as Mechomancy—not the traditional mystical arts. Laura disagrees..."

Another great read by Justina not read this year but too good not to mention is her Dread Nation series:

Dread Nation

Deathless Divide

6. Morgan Rogers / Honey Girl

Debut novel

A story of self-discovery, prioritizing mental health and recognizing the beauty of chosen family.

7. Tiffany D Jackson / The Weight of Blood

"Drawing inspiration from Stephen King’s Carrie, the novel features a biracial teenage girl with magical powers whose years of abuse from her father and bullying from her peers lead to disastrous consequences."

If Tiffany D. Jackson wrote it I'm going to read it , her books do not disappoint:

Allegedly

Monday's Not Coming

Let Me Hear A Rhyme

Grown

White Smoke

Blackout

Whiteout

8. Erin E. Adams / The Jackal

Debut novel

"A young Black girl vanishes in the woods on the outskirts of her predominantly white Rust Belt town. She isn’t the first to disappear—and she might not be the last"

9. S. A. Cosby / Razorblade Tears

"Ike Randolph and Buddy Lee are aging ex-cons living in rural Virginia. When their sons, a black and white couple with a baby daughter are brutally murdered, the two men team up and embark on a quest for revenge. As they try and track down their sons' killers, they also confront their own prejudices toward their sons and each other."

Other must reads by S. A. Cosby (read last year) :

All The Sinners Bleed

My Darkest Prayer

10. Tracy Deonn's Legendborn cycle:

Legendborn

"After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus. A flying demon feeding on human energies & a secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down."

Bloodmarked

"It is the second book in The Legendborn Cycle series, and follows Bree as she discovers her ancestral power and becomes a Medium, Bloodcrafter, and Scion. Bree and her friends must go on the run to rescue Nick, the Legendborn boy she fell in love with."

Oathbound the 3rd book in the cycle will be released in March 2025

[zadry]

ART IS...

Lorraine O’Grady was a pioneering American artist and critic, known for her groundbreaking work in conceptual art and performance, which often explored issues of race, gender, and cultural identity.

📷: Lelanie Foster for The New York Times

“That’s right. That’s what art is. WE’re the art!”

📷: Hassan Hajjaj for New York Magazine. Photo assistance by Martei Korley.

Born in 1934 to Caribbean immigrant parents, O’Grady emerged as a key figure in the 1980s art scene, challenging the exclusion of Black artists in mainstream art institutions.

In her iconic performance piece Mlle Bourgeoise (1980-83) Noire critiqued the lack of diversity in the art world,

while works like Art Is… celebrated the presence of art in everyday life and community.

O’Grady’s thought-provoking use of collage, photography, and text, along with her sharp critiques of society, established her as a vital voice in contemporary art, advocating for the visibility and recognition of Black women and marginalized communities.

“Frame ME, make ME art!”

📷: Hassan Hajjaj for New York Magazine. Photo assistance by Martei Korley

📷: Stefan Ruiz for The New Yorker

[zadry]

and if ever i touched a life i hope that life knows

that i know that touching was and still is and will always

be the true

revolution

- excerpt from When I Die by Nikki Giovanni

[zadry]

W O M A N

by Nikki Giovanni

she wanted to be a blade

of grass amid the fields

but he wouldn't agree

to be a dandelion

she wanted to be a robin singing

through the leaves

but he refused to be

her tree

she spun herself into a web

and    looking for a place to rest

turned to him

but he stood straight

declining to be her corner

she tried to be a book

but he wouldn't read

she turned herself into a bulb

but he wouldn't let her grow

she decided to become

a woman

and though he still refused

to be a man

she decided it was all

right

(📷 Portrait Of Nikki Giovanni by Jack Robinson)

Nikki Giovanni was a prominent American poet, writer, educator, and activist known for her powerful voice on issues of race, social justice, and personal identity. Born on June 7, 1943, in Knoxville, Tennessee, Giovanni gained prominence in the 1960s during the Black Arts Movement, a cultural and artistic extension of the Civil Rights Movement. Her work often addresses themes of African American heritage, empowerment, love, and the complexities of human relationships.

Giovanni's poetry collections, such as Black Feeling, Black Talk (1967), Ego-Tripping and Other Poems for Young People (1973), and Love Poems (1997), showcase her lyrical style and unapologetic exploration of black pride and resilience. Beyond poetry, she has written essays, children’s books, and spoken word recordings, earning her multiple accolades, including Grammy and NAACP Image Award nominations.

As a professor at Virginia Tech, Giovanni has inspired countless students with her passion for literature and advocacy for self-expression. Her candid and dynamic personality made her an influential figure in contemporary American literature and culture.

[zadry]

A Manifesto of Love : Womanhood

Let us be confident women who love our bodies unapologetically.

Ignore the “rules” imposed by society.

You don’t have to be a size 0 and you don’t require curves to be and feel beautiful– remember they’re our bodies, our rules.

Let us pledge to love our bodies as they are, because the sizes of our tummies, hips, bottoms and thighs do not define who we are as human beings.

That number on the scale, it only measures mass. It doesn’t capture our souls. The scale doesn’t know how smart, sassy, caring and simply spectacular we all are.

And, my lovelies, believe me when I say “we are ALL absolutely spectacular”.

Let us be nurturing women who uplift other women.

Encourage, inspire and nourish the dreams and hopes of other women.

We don’t have to be in competition.

We can succeed without feeding into the mentality that only one of us can shine at a time.

Let us obliterate those glass ceilings together.

Let us be warrior women who fight for the rights of those who can’t fight for themselves.

Let us be passionate about making this world better for the generations of young women and little girls to follow.

Let us stop slut shaming, victim blaming, body size bullying

and any other form of victimization that says “you’re not worthy”, “you’re not good enough.”

Because they are all lies.

Our sex does not make us weak or lesser human beings.

Let us be a voice, a shout, a thunderous cry for all the women in the world trying to get an education, trying to claim their basic rights and respect in a world that deems them unworthy and disposable just because they are female.

Let us not forget that this struggle also includes our sisterhood in the LGBTQiA+ community. Because this fight is for all women, regardless of the gender they were assigned at birth.

Let us be indestructible women that serve as beacons of light and love in a world filled with chaos.

And let us never forget the words of Audre Lorde:

“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.”

― Zadry Ferrer-Geddes , "A Manifesto of Love: Womanhood"

[zadry]

M. Tony Peralta "Latino Pop Art"

Celia Con Rolos

La Lupe Con Rolos

M.Tony Peralta’s Celia con Rolos (part of his "Rolos & Icons" series) becomes a permanent exhibit at the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum in D.C.