The last few weeks have been extremely challenging for me as a black woman in America. Between the killings of many Black people that have taken place in the last few weeks to the collective awakening that seems to be taking place amongst non-black people, and everything in between, I have found myself extremely exhausted. One holiday I have been looking forward to is Juneteenth. Juneteenth is a Black holiday that takes place on June 19th but I post on Thursdays which happens to be the 18th this year. For those of you unaware of what Juneteenth is, here is an excerpt from Juneteenth.com.

“Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.  Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation – which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.”

In celebrating Juneteenth this year, I have decided to dedicate a blog post to highlighting two of my favorite Black creatives, their work, and their missions. Both of these wonderful beings are my friends and stay creating beautiful things that deserve recognition.

Angelica Marie – WeAreKarasi.org

Mission: Creative healing tools. Affirmations and accessible doula care for BIWoC.

Angelica Marie is a Graphic Designer and Doula. She started Karasi to show womxn like me that we all possess the tools to heal and grow. We are all karasi because life and wisdom are already within us. Her goal is to show you creative ways to unlock them. Click here to see her website. You can also follow Karasi on Instagram: @wearekarasi.

Check out Angelica’s website for affirmation cards, doula servies, and more:

https://wearekarasi.org/

Tey Lynn – Author

Vision: A world that is not only safe but enjoyable for ALL Black queer femmes
Mission: To inspire Afrofuturist thought and actions through poetry and prose

Tey Lynn’s work consists of mostly her book Awakening the Dragon, which is an autobiographical exploration of sexuality, queerness, femininity, and Blackness. She has self-authored her presentations on emotional intelligence and self-care. She also has a solo published poem called “Anger” in the Aztec Literary Review. Finally, she has a novel called Luma in the works that contains Afrofuturist themes, and commentary on inclusion and liberation politics.

Follow Tey Lynn’s social media accounts and check out her website:

• • IG: @iridescentlytey
  • FB: Iridescently Tey
  • Pinterest: Iridescently Tey
  • Soundcloud: Iridescently Tey
  • Website:  IridescentlyTey.com

I also featured her on an episode of my podcast, Handle Your Scandal, that you can listen to on apple podcasts, spotify, and soundcloud.

Another way I’ve been finding joy lately is. by listening to music. The album I’m currently obsessed with is Ungodly Hour – Chloe x Halle. I saw them at Coachella back in 2018 and the amount of growth that has taken place between their debut album and this album is insane. This album is everythingggg. I literally can’t stop listening to it. My personal faves are Ungodly Hour, Forgive Me, Wonder What Sh—actually you know what I love the entire album. Please go stream it now!

I hope to highlight more Black creatives in the future and may even focus on highlighting them on my Instagram stories in the future. Make sure you don’t miss out and follow me on Instagram: @musingsofmara

(no underscore, the underscore is someone IMPERSONATING me)

Do you have any Black creatives whose work you love? How are you celebrating Juneteenth? Let me know in the comments and let’s chat!