Blackout

You've probably come here expecting me to either be utterly silent or a black box or something.

That won't help.

No, today, I'm going to go around the internet looking for black voices to share with you.

LongBlackFingers - This guy makes incredibly good perler art (those plastic beads you fuse together), makes fun composite images of himself using Pixlr, paints, and raises some really gorgeous houseplants. His blog is actually where I learned about baking your soil before you put your plants in so that you kill any of the fly eggs that may have gotten in there.

Krissy Diggs - once known as "That Chick With The Goggles", she's gone on to be an illustrator in Japan and is all around fun (and gorgeous) to follow

Dandy Wellington - Do you like old fashioned music? Do you like vintage style? Do you like cool people? Then follow Dandy Wellington, because he's got all three on lock. This man will probably become known as the Father of the New Harlem Renaissance. He's that good.

TL Yarn Crafts - I love crochet, but I don't live near a yarn shop anymore. When I want reliable info on what new yarns are like or if I just want to see a crafting video, these videos are really helpful. Toni is awesome.

Jamal Igle - I love comics. I was lucky enough to be part of a cartooning club in middle and high school that was run by Jon Bogdanove, and because I was following his work, I found Jamal Igle's. The man is an artistic genius and he has some of the best ideas in comics.



So if you've found yourself wondering how you can help if you can't donate to charities and you aren't able to join a protest and place your life in danger in the name of justice...

Just support black creators and businessfolk. Does your town have a restaurant owned by a person of color? Order food from them. Do you have a shop nearby that sells stuff and is owned by a black woman? Buy something.

But if you're on a strict budget and you can't inject your dollars into the black economy, then look for people who are creative. Turn your ad-blocker off, go to their website. Read their blog. Watch their YouTube videos. Talk loudly online and offline about how awesome that movie with the black cast is. Talk about how much you love that black author's books. Listen to music produced by black people and listen to it loudly.

Protest by supporting black lives wherever you can, and if we can ever get this under control, solidify the right of black men and women to live unmurdered in our society, we can shift our lens to the next group. Our lives are not ruined by the repair of other's lives. They can only be enriched.

Go Enjoy Something,
FC