But since April, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer’s signing of SB1070 into law (it took effect today) has kicked off a firestorm of xenophobic statements and belligerence from the measure’s supporters, who can be found across the country.  At best, the law attempts to right what’s seen as the federal government’s inability to fix the problem.  I fear, however, that it won’t roll out how lawmakers have promised.  If you give the police express permission to pull you over/aside because they suspect you’re undocumented, what’s to stop them from rampantly profiling? I have a hunch you can substitute the word illegal for Hispanic or Mexican and take it from there.  The fact that the legislators had to rewrite it to “ensure” no profiling would occur indicates that they weren’t altogether concerned with the potential harassment of legal Latino Americans.

Arizona has also dismantled its high school ethnic studies programs because if you allow minorities to learn about their history, well, they know the truth.  And that’s bad.  They’re following their two masterpieces with the brilliant idea of denying citizenship to immigrant children born on US soil.

Unfortunately, this mass outrage over the “illegals” is spreading around the country, even around the world, it seems.  Check out this tiny town in Nebraska where their overwhelming population of 25,000 has an immigration problem that necessitates strong action. Voters in Switzerland took it upon themselves last year to ban the frightening specter of…minarets. To strike at the growing population of Muslims, they have outlawed shiny towers with pretty writing on them.  France is also on the battlefield, banning burqas when only 2000 women in the entire country wear them.  President Nicolas Sarkozy likes to frame it as an assimilation issue—as in, those Muslims won’t assimilate to our values and we don’t like it.

And you know what, I agree with him. Only, I think that Western countries are engaging in a xenophobic war against people who don’t look like them. The face of immigration isn’t American, French, or British; it’s Mexican, Pakistani, and Sudanese. It’s former colonial power vs. mobilized colony. It’s allowing Cubans and turning away Haitians. The world is a sandbox and certain countries are drawing lines of Us against Them.  But neither xenophobia nor discrimination stop at legal status. If you believe that African-Americans are exempt from this debate, just look down at your arm and ask yourself if you look any different from an African immigrant. And that’s exactly why it matters.

sol (sōl) n. 1) Roman Mythology the sun god 2) the sun personified

experience  (ek spirˈē əns) n. 1) the act of living through an event  2) anything observed or lived through 3) a) training and personal participation b) knowledge, skill, etc. resulting from this

-from Webster’s New World Dictionary and Thesaurus

Hello and welcome to the Sol Expeerience.  This is an exploration into my world where art forms collide and take you on a physical journey through spiritual spaces and intergalactic travels through mental stimulation. Sorry if I go too deep.  This is just an introduction, after all.  My name is AJ aka solanjel and I will be your navigator. As you can see, I took my name from the sun and also angel because I’d like to think of myself as an earthbound spiritual being.  I think that essentially, that’s what we all are.

I believe that life is an ex(peer)ience…which means that we are meant to participate in it, observe it, learn from it, and LIVE IT. I also believe that we experience life through our interaction with others and the way we express ourselves to the world. We thrive off of our peers, which includes everyone with whom we come in contact, whether we acknowledge the interaction or not. To truly experience life is to fully embrace it.

I think music is a big part of how we interpret the world we create for ourselves.  Music is universal; it has a rhythmic language the soul understands.  It can create or change a mood, inspire imagination, spark interest, motivate, or even save a life. This may (or may not) go without saying, but I am very creative and am in search of getting out my dreams…by any means necessary.  I love artistic creation and respect all forms of art.  I am currently working on a career in film as a writer/director/actress. I am also trying to figure out me while navigating through the ever-changing landscape of life. I don’t have the answers; I am here to give perspective in the hopes of opening minds and challenging standards.

Before anything, I am a writer and I value words like nothing else.  Well…almost nothing else.  I can only hope that my words touch your lives in a way that will help us all.  Thank you for journeying with me!

Love, solanjel

It all started when we did the T-shirt shoot for RepJa.  It was a fun Sunday afternoon and my girl Tara showed up to film the behind-the-scenes (she thinks she’s an auteur or something).  We were having so much fun that, on an impulse, we decided to have a get-together at her shop, The Crochet Fashion Gallery.  Tara and I didn’t know what we were going to do or what it was going to be about, but we knew we were going to do it in a week (because it was the last week of free parking).  Finally, we decided to go with The Crochet Strut.  We just had a little fun with it, and a few invited friends and photographers later, it was on.  We were surprised by how many people showed up on such short notice!

It was hot, we were sweating, and we had a damn good time.  And the pictures were astounding.  We have definitely got to do this again.  Would you want to come?

“Check out my work on www.afrochic.book.fr and if you wanna get in touch, hit me on facebook at AFROCHIC. If ever you decide to come to Paris and if you like my style, feel free to contact me for an Afrochic touch.”

Indeed, the AFROCHIC Touch is reflected in his incorpation of black, shadow, color and African iconography into fashion, glamour and artistic photography of people and form. This is his second appearance in the Project, and as he continues to create these great images, I am sure it will not be his last.

This a revisit of an old friend in the Garden Shakazz of AFROCHIC. Shakazz is an African born photographer who is now based in Paris. According to Shakazz, “My concept is called AFROCHIC and it’s all about Ebony photography, entirely dedicated to my people because KINGS and QUEENS are what we are. It’s black-owned business. I work with models, artists, singers and ordinary people.”Check out my work on www.afrochic.book.fr and if you wanna get in touch, hit me on facebook at AFROCHIC. If ever you decide to come to Paris and if you like my style, feel free to contact me for an Afrochic touch.”

Indeed, the AFROCHIC Touch is reflected in his incorpation of black, shadow, bright color and African iconography into fashion, glamour and artistic photography of people and form. This is his second appearance in the Project, and as he continues to create these great images, I am sure it will not be his last. Check out his images below as well as his previous appearance in the Project.

Do you like them? Let us know what you think?

-Vincent

The following is a story I was fortunate to read by Surya Devi Shofar on blog The Sex-Sensual Griot. As I read it, I was intrigued and thought that I should do a write up of my own but the more I read, the more I realized that Surya’s story says it all. So here it is.

Naked Expressions

of Leading

Black Women!

The naked unveiling of her body in her video, “Window Seat”, was Erica’s way of showing the world that she has climbed higher dimensions of her spiritual journey while making a fierce political statement that inter weaved the past and brought us a flash into the future. But only a few can truly understand content and relational meaning of her video and the true quest of this daring spirit! As an astrologer, I must say that she is truly expressing her Piscean spirit. And she is leading others to the summit!

We remember that uproar, the criticisms she was up against and the dialogues that streamed across the globe mixed with all kinds of opinions and ideas. Erika is not the only Black woman expressing herself beyond society’s demands and expectations while breaking glass ceilings of sensual expressions. There is also Jada Pinket Smith who graces the cover of Essence Magazine with a partially nude photo revealing parts of her upper body and legs. Jada thinks that “Women should be proud of their body. And I agree with her %100.

But women should first be proud of the diverse strength they embody. From being able to conceive and carry a growing baby while going about the regular activities of a woman’s life, to acknowledging that she carries a sacred bowl more powerful than any single thing that exists on this planet and that she carries the intuitive world right in her creative center, to knowing and mastering the use of her sexual creative powers. I believe that women have been sold short of their bodies; robbed of their powers in so many ways. We have been cleverly deceived and tricked into shutting ourselves out of our own bodies. And until we renter the kingdom of heaven (the body) – in the manner intended – we as women will never know the extent of our majesty, grace and power because we have been fooled and taught to seek it outside our selves and in others. This is the ultimate challenge of WOMAN!!

The decision to use the photo for the cover of Essence was inspired by her daughter, Willow’s first reaction to seeing the photo. In her recent interview on “The View” she talks about her impromptu decision to have her nude photo on the cover of Essence Magazine.

Jada Pinkett-Smith on The View

Thanks to the increasing heat of the Summer’s arrival and the powerful Summer Solstice I rolled out some of my artistic nude photos and posted a couple on my face book profile. The first one made ripples! I received a stream of comments that were positive and complimentary.

Then I posted the second one in which my entire back side is exposed. And I made tidal waves while inducing a bit of silence. Silence so thick that I could feel it through the virtual walls of cyberspace. And I do feel deeply! Then I received a note with the subject saying “egads. It was from a Caucasian lady (not even a friend on fb) saying..”woman, have you no shame!” My response to her was “Have you? Now for me….that depends…”

I am not ashamed of my body and don’t see why anyone should be ashamed of theirs. And most interesting is that a Caucasian woman approached me through email. Did my chocolate smooth skin and beautiful strong body intimidate her? What moved her to drop me that note? I am curious!

We can not ignore the racial irony of this nudity business that also carries an element of past programming and conditioning. Was I supposed to be in the cotton field with my long dress and boots on picking cotton and dare not expose my nakedness to the master. It seems that when a white or Latin woman poses nude it is never a big deal. However, as soon as a black woman shows more of her body in a naked artistic fashion she is scrutinized beyond limits. Yet there are many who have and go unruffled in the media and other times without any huge public knowledge for their nude exposures.

Jessica Alba

Eva Mendes

Padma Lakshmi

Britney Spears

The usual question: Why do we have so much shame for our bodies? We know the answers to that one. But the question here today in the year 2010 is: Why is there a difference in the reaction to a white woman posing nude versus a black woman?

What are we doing to honor our bodies and to be at peace within and comfortable in our own physical casings. How are our insecurities destroying our relations and what are we doing or need to do to raise the bars of our self-esteem, while we instead fed with violence, destruction, deception and tragedy on the screens? How are women like Erykah Badu and Jada Pinkett Smith inspiring other women or not?

Share your naked thoughts!

-Surya Devi Shofar

Angelique Surya Shofar is the founder and director of the Spirit of Wellness which focuses on women’s sexual wellness. Affectionately known as “The African Wellness Diva” for her natural healing presence and gifts, she serves as a Wellness & Lifestyle Coach, Energy Therapist, Inspirational Speaker, Certified Yoga teacher and Reflexologist. Also known as the Sexual Griot, Surya says she is a free spirit with a sensual creative edge. My creative spirit flows in all phases of my life, while all phases of my life can be found in my creativity! And an African woman – mind, heart, soul and to the bone! To see more of her writings visit her blog: http://sexualgriot.blogspot.com/

You see his work and its stops you. Dead in your tracks its stops you.

Michael Thompson’s colors are rich and vibrant; a tasty buffet of design for your eyes. Its worth a look but that not what stops you. There’s always a story in the design, elevating it to the highest forms of art. Its a 21st century Afrocentric aesthestic that provokes, entertains and inspires. It stops you because it takes you to a place that you haven’t been. Yet

Michael says, “I use design as a visual language to educate, to fight injustice, and also a way to ignite conversation. This collection include poster designs that expose Jamaican cultural exports; which is Reggae and Rocksteady, Ska, As you will see I also focus on current world issues that needs attention. I try to design my posters to be combative in message but in simple modern minimalist style. In the future I hope to add more designs broader global issues such as the Environment, child soldiers and Healthcare.”

"These are some of my 18x24 poster prints which I have had produced. I am very please by the way the prints turned out. I have many more to make." -Michael Thompson

I chanced upon Thompson’s Flickr account where he goes by the name “freestyle.” And while his most recent works are mostly conscious-raising poster art & design, his photography and art are there as well. So believe me when I say the work here barely touches the surface of this accomplished creative.

Based in Easton PA (a city situated midway between New York and Philadelphia) Michael seeks “to make a difference with art and to bring awareness to the many social issues affecting large section of our planet.” His talents have attracted clients such as CITI, Verizon, Time Warner Cable and the National Urban League. And his posters are available for use in solidarity projects and for individual purchase. He is, indeed, a bright modern Griot in these interesting times.

I’ve included a small sampling of his works here. Many of them include excerpts from “freestyle’s” own thoughts in the creation of the works. Its hard, once you see these images, not to want to delve into their deeper truths. Check them out for yourself.

And remember, this is only a taste of what Michael Thompson has accomplished creatively. To see more check out his Flickr page or go to his website. And you be the judge. Come back here and let us know if you thought they were worth the look.

This year’s carnival theme, “It’s Yours, It’s Mine, It’s Carnival,” celebrated the Caribbean community’s ethnic and cultural diversity. The carnival Akicked off at noon with the Parade of Bands. The parade began in downtown Atlanta on West Peachtree Street and concluded in the Historic Sweet Auburn district. Historic Auburn Avenue has a history of being a rich source African American culture. Its the home Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King, Sr and Jr both pastored, as well as the location of the former Royal Peacock Club, a hugely popular reggae joint that also has a past as an Atlanta stomping ground for BB King and Gladys Knight. A portion of Auburn Ave. was transformed into Festival Village, where attendees experienced the sights, sounds, and food of the Caribbean.

There were tens of thousands of people in attendance. The crowd was lively and joyous. These are some of the images from the parade as it rounded Sweet Auburn.

It’s a Tuesday evening at Studio281 in Atlanta. Around 8 pm folks start to trickle in. They mingle and drink happily as the crew from Black on Black Rhyme Atlanta prepare the, typically, Jazz setting for it role tonight as a house of poetic verse.  Its a special night because several poets have travelled all the way from the Black on Black Rhyme  home of  Tallahassee FL to perform. After the night’s performance, spoken verse poets from both cities will head to Knoxville TN for a special event there, but on this night … we are the fortunate audience of their creatively impassioned recitations.

“a picture is worth a thousand words” … maybe. I love the images I captured and maybe a picture is worth a thousand words. But it pales in comparison to the performance of this troupe. You have to be there. You have to experience it. These impressions are just a taste.

I wish I could say more but, honestly, words fail me. The day took me back. It was reminiscent of events I would attend more than a dozen years ago when such creative arousal was brand new to me. Saturday fired up my imagination and seeded my vision. My consciousness was raised. Experiences like Saturday at the Malcolm X Festival cultivate Pangea’s Garden because the community of culture is our muse. Words fail me, because all I am trying to say is that I was moved.

Here are a few captures from the day, in case you didn’t get to see it. Do you have days like this where you are?

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