I’ve been having a wonderful back-and-forth with the founder of BlacqueWidowDolls.com, Jinga Willis. She and I both had visions of paying homage to the unique and extraordinary beauty of women of color. And while we take different approaches, it is inspiring to see that we both have no problems breaking through the limitations of a Eurocentric aesthetic to redefine the standards that allows the blesssings we know to be seen by all. I’ve learned so much from her and she has inspired me in ways she is not even aware of at this point. Soon we will do an interview with her about her site...

Kirei Na’s birthday was just a few days before the New Year, providing the perfect opportunity for a Pangea’s Garden gathering. And what started out as an Open Mic event, quickly became a night of intimate and passionate verse, setting the tone for events in the future. I’ve included a few captures of the event along with one spoken words musings brought to us by ButtahFly. You can see more captures, another video and some paparazzi-style shots PangeasGarden.com’s newly founded blog. This was the Garden’s first public event and we have planned another for Wednesday...

Quite by nature but never shy. Open-minded, friendly, humble and innately artistic are all attributes that describe Ryka, a petite EarthSista with an upbeat edge. Because she is coy and gracious, it can take a moment for her to share but its worth the wait. Self-driven and adventurous, Ryka’s love of writing and painting along with fashion design and photography are aspects that indicate that she marches to the beat of her own drum. Surrounded by a positive and loving family environment, she was nurtured to be an independent go-getter who is not afraid to be caring and loving. Ryka is also a...

Image from Essence.com By Naturally Leslie So one topic that tends to come up over and over again on hair blogs is related to how men view our natural hair. I personally have never had an issue with this since all of my serious relationships happened after I had been natural for quite a while. But I know many women are very concerned with either attracting a man or keeping the one they have once they go from relaxed to natural hair. My personal opinion is that if you’re single, you’ll attract men who like natural hair. But if you’re already in a relationship, while you should...

heritage’s mark… revisiting the beauty of Trinette and the vision of Chi-Rue99. Trinette and Chi-Rue99 captures continue in this momentary homage to family. Along with the rest of their extraordinary captures Trinette’s form and beauty is the elaborate personal family tree that decorates her back. A lovely tree made of the linage of generations of Trinette’s family is captured expertly by Chi’s lens, portraying these marks on form artitstically and sensually. To see more of the works of Chi-Rue99 Photography you can go here and here. To see more of...

a word from Wyclef Jean on the earthquake in Haiti “Haiti today faced a natural disaster of unprecedented proportion, an earthquake unlike anything the country has ever experienced. The magnitude 7.0 earthquake – and several very strong aftershocks – struck only 10 miles from Port-au-Prince. I cannot stress enough what a human disaster this is, and idle hands will only make this tragedy worse. The over 2 million people in Port-au-Prince tonight face catastrophe alone. We must act now. President Obama has already said that the U.S. stands ‘ready to assist’ the Haitian people. The...

And the story continues…. “Pangaea’s Garden is the sanctuary for striking images that pay homage to the exotic beauty of that Earth Sista that was always close to home. This is a place for the art, images and culture that capture the sensuous harmony of the earthbound soul. The works featured here can be created by anyone who has an appreciation for the aesthetic. Feel free to join us in cultivating the garden. Lets help the project to grow.” That was the our statement in the beginning. On the blog on blogspot. It started with a story about woman who thought the brothers were...