1/4 — June journaling

I am doing the work

Black people are so tired
We can’t be handcuffed and put in the police car unless we are dead (#GeorgeFloyd)
We can’t go bird watching in Central Park (#ChristianCooper)
We can’t go jogging (#AmaudArbery)
We can’t relax in the comfort of our own homes (#BothemJean and #AtatianaJefferson)
We can’t ask for help after being in a car crash (#JonathanFerrell and #RenishaMcBride)
We can’t have a cellphone (#StephonClark)
We can’t leave a party to get to safety (#JordanEdwards)
We can’t play loud music (#JordanDavis)
We can’t sell CD’s (#AltonSterling)
We can’t sleep (#AiyanaJones)
We can’t walk from the corner store (#MikeBrown)
We can’t play cops and robbers (#TamirRice)
We can’t go to church (#Charleston9)
We can’t walk home with Skittles (#TrayvonMartin)
We can’t hold a hairbrush while leaving our own bachelor party (#SeanBell)
We can’t party on New Years (#OscarGrant)
We can’t get a normal traffic ticket (#SandraBland)
We can’t lawfully carry a weapon (#PhilandoCastile)
We can’t break down on a public road with car problems (#CoreyJones)
We can’t shop at Walmart (#JohnCrawford)
We can’t have a disabled vehicle (#TerrenceCrutcher)
We can’t read a book in our own car (#KeithScott)
We can’t be a 10yr old walking with our grandfather (#CliffordGlover)
We can’t decorate for a party (#ClaudeReese)
We can’t ask a cop a question (#RandyEvans)
We can’t cash our check in peace (#YvonneSmallwood)
We can’t take out our wallet (#AmadouDiallo)
We can’t run (#WalterScott)
We can’t breathe (#EricGarner)
We can’t live (#FreddieGray)
We’re tired
Tired of making hashtags
Tired of trying to convince you that our #BlackLivesMatter too
Tired of dying
Tired
Tired
Tired
So very tired

— Author unknown

💔

I hear you. I see you. I appreciate you. I admire your endless strength. How you pick yourselves back up, time and time again. How you keep smiling, sparkling and putting so much magic into this world. We need that. We need you. You matter, so so much.

I’ll never understand what it’s like to stand in your shoes and navigate this world with such a heavy heart, but I will stand by you. Do my part to fight for a world where we are all truly equal.

Therefore, I started I am doing the work: A movement for womxn and non-binary people that want to actively do anti-racism work, hold themselves accountable, and reflect and share thoughts in a safe space. The DTW space is for curious, receptive womxn that are dedicated to doing better, keeping the conversation going, and making real change happen. 

Spread the word, let’s get to work.

✊🏽 ✊🏾 ✊🏿

Shopping galore

I’ve tried really hard to not fall into the quarantine online shopping trap and instead save my money for my moving-to-NYC fund. Which worked, sort of. I could potentially afford a Brooklyn closet and a lobster roll once a month with what I’ve scrambled together thus far. It’s a start, I guess.

The money I didn’t put into that fund went to donations and books. Many, many books. And also some new pieces of clothing, candles, facial masks, online courses, food and future travel vouchers (supporting my Bali fam).

Books I’m currently reading:

1. Ibram X. Kendi – How To Be an Antiracist
2. Layla Saad – Me and White Supremacy: How to Recognise Your Privilege, Combat Racism and Change the World
3. Ijeoma Oluo – So You Want to Talk About Race
4. Sally Rooney – Normal People
5. Marie Forleo – Everything Is Figureoutable

Here are some of my favorite things I’ve recently bought from ASOS.

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And then some gems from HEMA aka the best store in the Netherlands, after Albert Heijn.

Meet stylist Shiona Turini

Can we all agree Insecure got even better after Molly started dating “Asian bae” Andrew?

Okay great, happy we feel the same 🤜🤛

JK I don’t fist bump IRL. Should we as females? I think it would look odd, and awkward.

Of course, I follow Alexander Hodge on IG. In grown-up, spiritual talk that’s because he’s “an expander” — the type of man I want to be dating — in reality, it’s because this man is fine. So so very fine. And sometimes you just want to scroll through his pics and dream away.

Which is exactly what happened when my IG-stalking-swipings landed on this:

Hooold up. Can we talk about this entire look? It is FIRE!

If my man would walk into a room looking like that, my eyes would be balling out and I’d be wiping away the drool coming out of the right corner of my mouth… probably just a second too late (whoops, my bad).

The person responsible for this well-curated design is stylist and costume designer Shiona Turini. I’d normally insert a few lines about her, but this Refinery29 interview tells you all about how epic and hardworking she is.

What you need to know is that she’s 1) very inspiring and 2) worked with Beyoncé to create looks for her Formation music video. Yes, I’m talking the fur. The red dress. The bodysuit. All the memorable looks she served us in the 3-minute long Black power anthem.

Shiona knows her shit. Her IG is full of high-waisted-pants looks you want to recreate and visuals that are aesthetically pleasing.

Let me delight you with some examples:

Music videos that make me happy

Shaé Universe turned 25 on May 27th and her birthday gift to us was quite something: An uplifting fuckboys-go-fuck-yourself female-empowering anthem featuring over 100 beautiful queens all standing strong and in their worth together.

And then there’s this quarantine gem from Stephcynie. A creative video where the Nashville singer organizes a virtual Contagious Love meeting to bring light and joy into her community.

Every time I watch it I get a big smile on my face, it’s so cute and lovely and happy!