SheeRo

In a world where men are consistently idolized, Id like to use my platform not to idolize woman

but to appreciate their everyday

fight to do something more than what the norm expects of them.

They say its a mans world

But it would be nothing without a WOMAN’s touch.

To put Woman on a pedestal highly, back where they belong

Is for nations to never suffer again!

Today my SheeRo is

Ty Black, also known as Queen Blizzy age 27 from East New York, Brooklyn,

known for her Hip Hop, activism, and community work.

Here are a few questions i asked to help get to know her better.

BWB

How do you use what you do to create social justice awareness to your people?

QB

By placing social topics in my music, activism, and community work. Spreading awareness, knowledge,

and solutions for social justice in all avenues I embark on.

BWB

What does culture mean to you ?

QB

Culture means a way a life. A bond with communities and race.

BWB

How do you feel about the current white washing of black and brown communities? And what

message/advice do you have for white people moving in?

QB

I feel, just like damn near everything else in America, gentrification is a way to keep black and brown people

oppressed. I also feel that after years of this, we should be tired of the cycle, and fighting harder

then ever against it. I don’t have any advice for white people moving in. I do have advice for the

black and brown people being pushed out. Unite and build.

Understand that all this oppression is coming from the same source. The people united can never be defeated.

BWB

What are some of the projects you a are currently working on?

QB

June 17th makes 11 months since the murder of Eric Garner. Im assisting Jewel, the mother of

Eric’s 1 year old daughter with an action. This action is powerful and creative. People will be organizing

together to spell out Eric Garner on the ground with  their bodies. This is something I encourage everyone to partake in.

For more info like the page facebook.com/LegacyGarner.

Another program I’m working on is “Warrior Queen Wednesdays”. Stay updated on facebook.com/TyBlizzyBlack

BWB

As powerful as your voice is, is their anything you fear?

QB

What I ultimately fear is staying still. Not growing and progressing. Life is constant and about evolution.

If you aren’t growing, your dead.

BWB

What does black and brown success mean to you ? How does it look ?

QB

Black and brown success is black and brown people being Creatively great and powerful. No oppression, and no

boundaries of fear. Peace and unity among one another.

Brooklyn Queen Reppin

Leaders Look Like This

Stylin on Them

 

Hands Up, But They Still Shoot

It is said that the NYC police department will be issuing a budget to get body cameras in which police officers will be required to record when interacting with civilians. We live in a country where the Eric Garner murder was recorded, the coroner declared it a homicide, and still No Justice. Mike Brown had his hands up and Darren Wilson still shot the innocent teenager and Trayvon Martin yelled for his life as Zimmerman gunned him down. Along with many other black and brown lives taken inhumanely. Yet America has labeled us the animals.

To say there is a problem within our policing system would be an understatement. It is corrupt from the bottom up and has always been rooted by a white supremacist system. Black and brown people have a civil right to be treated with equality. People of color should not feel threatened by police presence as opposed to feeling safe. Mothers shouldn’t have to verbally train their sons how to be, act, speak, and react around law enforcement. We are living in an era where you have to teach your children if ever stopped to not resist, to keep their hands where cops can see them at all times. Things that white mothers and fathers are not subjected to as black and brown communities are. The truth in white privilege.

One of the things that seems to come up a lot during these conversations is “Let’s not play the race card.” I think what people don’t understand is that that’s exactly what people are doing. Playing the hand that was dealt. And if people are tired of hearing about it, imagine how hard it is to live it every single day of your life. Our black and brown communities need to love each other, protect each other, build from the roots up. We have to learn our culture in order to find the truth within ourselves. We have to teach our youth. They are the target and it is our responsibility to give them safe spaces where they can be creative and learn to use their voices.

Growing up, we learned that history had a way of repeating itself. I think I always knew I’d be a part of something life-changing and altering. My first protest was for the Mike Brown verdict. I remember feeling like it was my obligation, my social responsibility to be there, to be an extra body and voice. A couple of close friends and I walked to the train and for the whole ride I felt pretty numb. My friend asked if I was ok. I told him I was. He went on to explain that i must remain level-headed at all times, and that I can’t let my emotions control my actions. I smiled and recall saying, “I’m good.” He said, “you don’t understand, this is something new to you and very powerful.” I just nodded. Our stop finally came, we got off and approached to street level. Outside you could see a lot of people with signs. Some looked confused, didn’t know which way to go, while others led the way. Three blocks into walking, I heard them. All in unity, “BLACK LIVES MATTER.” It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard in my life. It was so powerful and so unified that it brought tears to my eyes. At that moment I felt connected. The more we walked and the bigger we got I started to feel like I had done this before. I have a friend who always talks to me about blood memory. I get so passionate about things and feel so connected to my culture that it makes me feel as if I have been here before. As if I have fought this battle before – and we have. It’s in our blood. We are fighting a systemic form of oppression that has been going on for way too long. Everywhere we turn we have to fight the system in some way, shape, or form. Our families deserve better than that. Our children aren’t animals.

The system shouldn’t hold the power to decide which of our people live or die!

In the fight for justice, we hope that the families of the lost ones find some type of peace and, although it may hurt, they are never alone. As a woman of indigenous ethnicity raising a son, I also live in fear of a system run by oppression and white supremacy. We as the people must join forces and learn to value each other as brothers and sisters.

I hope for peace and justice, especially for our youth .

Yes, all lives matter!
BUT
IT’S APPARENT THAT OUR JUDICIAL SYSTEM DOES NOT VALUE THE LIVES OF BLACKS!

 Written By : Jazo Brooklyn 

Edited By: Madeline Kennedy

EVENTS TO CHECK OUT THIS WEEKEND

FRIDAY DECEMBER 19TH

AMG MUSIC GROUP AND LABEL WILL BE DOING SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR 3 KIDS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES 

A BIT ABOUT THEIR PROJECT 

We understand that a lot of good children are growing up in negative and poverty-stricken neighborhoods, and for this reason we will like to lend a helping hand to the family that want to give their child whatever their heart desires but can not do so because of their financial situation. Avenue Music Group (AMG) would like to be some what of an aid to the parents by offering their child a “dream day” which consist of various exciting activities throughout the day, followed by a trip to Toy-R-Us where the child can choose a toy of their choice.

DONATE HERE 

SATURDAY DECEMBER 20TH 

Every month Silent Barn hosts a big Open House (OH!) party to celebrate all of our
Stewdios (http://silentbarn.org/stewdios/working),
Artworks (http://silentbarn.org/about/gallery), and
Residents (http://silentbarn.org/stewdios/living).
This is a great opportunity to meet all of these members of the Silent Barn community, and stock up on some sweet gifts for your friends and family!
Records from Deep Cuts!
Local and Underground Music labels!
Synthesizers from Casper Electronics!
Guitar Pedals from Lo Rez!
Band T-shirts from Merch & Destory!
Jewelry from Wax the Duck!
Art, Clothing, Jewelry from Rebel Designs!
Martha Moszczynski designs + installation in Big Law Country Club!
G Lucas Crane as Santa Claus!
Party Lab Workshop (sign up to be a certified Lab Technician)!
Visit the Silent Membership corner to join Silent Barn! JOIN EVENT CLICK HERE

Join this candlelight tree lighting and mural unveiling in observance of the lives of the members of the community recently lost to acts of police brutality. There will be performances by spoken word collective swag. There will also be a healing march around the East NY community making stops at Boulevard & Pink Houses.

RSVP HERE

SUNDAY DECEMBER 21, 2014

HOME DECOR

BODY PRODUCTS

FOOD

ART

JOIN FACEBOOK EVENT HERE

FA LA LA LA LUZ HOLIDAY+ VEGGIE POT LUCK & MUSIC JAM

Now!
Its that time of year!!!
For some Fa La La La Holiday Cheer
To laugh so hard, you shed a tear.
To feel inspired, for the new year!

La Luz 135 Thames StreeT Brooklyn, NY 11237

Directions: L to Jefferson or Morgan!
“La Luz is a gathering place for performers, artists, and healers. It’s intention is to bring forth sustainable growth and understanding in the world.” ~La Luz

POSTS! JOIN FACEBOOK EVENT HERE  

Bushwick Events This Weekend

#BLACKLIVESMATTER

This march is going to be massive and is organized in a very short time, we can use all the support we can get. So we would like to reach out to all of you who are able to step up and fill support roles.

TODAY 6-9 PM

RSVP HERE

For those art lovers. Come on out and support a dope underground Graffiti Movement by Brooklyn Artist

All art will be for sale.

1 718 Collective will be donating 25% to Educated Little Monsters Youth Group

All info on Flyer

*Music

*Drinks

Join The EVent on Facebook

No one should spend the Holidays Alone

Swerve Church a local ministry will be putting a community potluck together

Saturday December 13th at Express Yourself Cafe 

82 Central Ave, Brooklyn New York

Join their Facebook Event Page

Click Here 

#FeministsOnTheMove Contingent at Millions March NYC

Led by AF3IRM NYC and the Sister Circle Collective.

The meetup location is at Washington Sq North and 5th Avenue at 1pm. Wear as much purple as you can!

All signs, chants etc should be in honor of the women, girls and LGBTQ, gender non-conforming folks who have lost their lives to state and police violence. In particular, we will honor Black women, girls and LGBTQ folks such as Aiyana Jones, Kayla Moore, Nizah Moore, Rekia Boyd, Shantel Davis and more.

RSVP HERE

DRTY SMMR, BUSHWICK NIGHTS

by Jaz Colon

Ok, so we know that there are a bunch of boutiques, galleries, and cafes popping up in Bushwick. With four coffee shops on one block, it’s all becoming over-rated. Some people have even said that it’s no longer feeling like a community. Why is there a huge disconnect between the new community that is being built and the pre-existing one that has been around for thirty-plus years? It’s not the new businesses that are creating this feeling. It’s the people who run them. However, this is not the story with every new venture in Bushwick. There are a lot of genuine people doing amazing things through all forms of art, from music, dancing, fashion, and more.

Alfredo Leijia (29, born and raised in Texas) and Shock Vintage (29, born and raised in Atlanta, GA) are among the many talented. They run a collaborative boutique called DRTY SMMR (DS), which lies on 1198 Myrtle Ave. Being under the loud and constantly running M train gives their storefront a chic, yet edgy look. From the outside you can see at least two racks filled with treasures: evening gowns, vintage findings, and punky, avant-garde styles. Inside are enough beautiful accessories to leave you with a completely new outfit.

Beautiful murals, along with paintings, dress their walls. DS has it all, but the thing that struck me the most was the vibe I got the minute I walked into the space. It felt inviting. Alfredo and Shock were very warm and vibrant and filled with genuine personality. You could sense their joy in having you there. Their whole essence and how they carry themselves represent community. They really have a passion to build bonds with every one who walks in and out of their shop. Alfredo and Shock are very connected to the local youth group, Educated Little Monsters. Shock came and spent a day with them talking about fashion and design. Alfredo created the costume for their first dance showcase. He took care of them. Knowing that this little shop not only offers unique fashion, but also helps the community is a win for any town. Make sure you come out and give them a visit.

Here’s a little info about the designers:

Bushwick Bridge (BWB): How long have you lived in Bushwick and what made you choose Bushwick?

Alfredo Leijia (AL): Actually, my first apartment was in Bed-Stuy, in 2010. I left there at the time, because I felt like it wasn’t coming up fast enough. You know, that young creative life. The Bushwick art scene was a lot stronger than it was in Bed-Stuy at the time.

Shock Vintage (SV): I’ve been in Bushwick, on and off, for four years. I chose Bushwick for the prices and distance to the city.

 

BWB: How long have you been designing?

AL: Wow, I was about fifteen. I designed four girls’ dresses and my suit for our high school prom. I was sketching at seven years old. I always knew that I wanted to make things with my hands and at fifteen I knew it was my passion. I still have the sketch of an off-the-shoulder jacket I made in red.

SV: I’ve been designing ever since I was about 12-years-old.

BWB: How would you describe your designs?

AL: They are edgy and elegant. I always feel like I’m dressing up a vampire from the 1920s. I wish I grew up in the 1920s and the 1940s. I love [those eras]. [They] inspire my style.

SV: My designer style is a mixture between urban-wear and athletic-wear. And [it’s] slightly couture, due to the authenticity.

BWB: How has your experience been overall in Bushwick?

AL: I really like it a lot. It’s one of the best communities I’ve been to. So many mixtures of people. I love the diversity. We get a lot of good feedback from people who come by our shop. We had this one lady–who happened to be a native–who told us, “Thank you for bringing some beauty to our community.” It felt amazing to hear her say that. It’s also an overwhelming feeling to see how happy a new client is when they get something custom-made specifically for them. It always feels like my first piece.

BWB: Do you think Bushwick fits your style?

SV: Bushwick, like most areas, don’t necessarily fit my style, because I’m extremely unique within my style. It’s never planned. It’s inspired by culture and art and fashion.

BWB: What do you love most about designing clothes?

SV: Designing clothes is very therapeutic. It’s also exclusive, because you are the only person who creates that design. There is nothing like originality.

A Farm Grows in Bushwick

By Sarah Quinter

The bustling intersection of Myrtle Avenue and Broadway is the last place where one would expect to find garden beds of organic fruits and vegetables, chickens and ducks pecking in the soil, or children learning about compost and honeybees. Yet, only two blocks away on a tiny street called Stockton, you can encounter all this and more.

Bushwick City Farm sits at 354 Stockton Street and Lewis Avenue, and is technically in Bed-Stuy because it’s on the other side of Broadway. However, the name sticks because there were originally two gardens, and the one that no longer exists was just inside Bushwick’s borders. That smaller location–originally started in 2008–had to close when the owner of the lot decided to build a residential/commercial building on that site. Still, the larger site on Stockton remains.

Approaching the farm, one notices the heads of tall, strong sunflowers emerging against the backdrop of brick buildings. Inside, there is a large gazebo that shelters picnic tables, a grill, and even a bookshelf. The structure was hand-built by sixth to twelfth grade students through a program called Urban Workshop in the winter of 2013. There are hexagonal garden beds, a large chicken coop, compost bins, a beehive, and trellises for vines, all built primarily from salvaged materials. One of the main volunteers, Jason Reis, showed me the tomatoes, corn, collards, herbs, blueberries, and many other crops. A woman from the neighborhood, Elsie, was carefully removing tiny collard seeds from their pods and saving them to be planted the following year. Children played in the center of the farm, splashing each other in the swimming pool and inventing their own games.

I spoke with Jason as he staked tomatoes on a hot Sunday afternoon. He described the goals of Bushwick City Farm: to provide free food for people in the neighborhood, to create a community space, and to promote education and appreciation of organic agriculture within an urban setting. Everything at the farm is communal; people plant what they can and harvest what they like, donating their time as they are able to. On Sundays, free eggs from the chickens are given away. They have received a couple of grants from the Citizen’s Committee for NYC to pay for things like chicken feed and wood shop rental, but almost everything else is sustained on sheer resourcefulness.

The farm has clearly come a long way from being a trash filled lot three years ago. The owner of the lot is permitting people to use it, but may choose to sell or develop the site at any time. Like many things in Bushwick, the farm is beautiful but also precarious. Though it appears that most of the core volunteers are white and transplants from outside of the neighborhood, it is clear that they are dedicated to creating a space for all. The spoke in both Spanish and English and seemed to know a lot of the children really well.

Jason explained that the farm was definitely there to serve children, however they sometimes felt overwhelmed when many parents dropped their kids off and there weren’t enough volunteers to supervise. I ended up returning the following weekend when they were holding a barbeque for Parent’s Day in an effort to get more parents involved. Some parents were there, and also some other volunteers, but they all agreed that more parents still needed to get involved. We discussed the difficulties of getting people to volunteer in communities that experience a lot of hardship, but agreed that it was still important to try. The parents I spoke with said they appreciated that their kids got to experience the “circle of life” in caring for the animals and plants at Bushwick City Farm.

Young children and teens I spoke with clearly expressed their enthusiasm for spending time with the plants and chickens and playing with their friends in a safe place. Most of them had been coming since the farm was first created, and said they encouraged others to enjoy and support the project. I spoke with a visitor from Germany, who said there was nothing quite like it where she came from. She was inspired to see the place for herself when she was planning a trip to the States and saw a television program about Bushwick City Farm. There was a lot of diversity that day in terms of age, ethnicity, religion, and more, all in a very family-friendly atmosphere.

Volunteers told me they were also working to support other community gardening initiatives in the neighborhood, specifically El Garden on Jefferson Street, John the Baptist Garden, and also an initiative by some NYCHA residents up on Myrtle Avenue. They also expressed interest in supporting tenant organizing and other local activism. Looking to the future, they are hoping to get more organized (though things seemed to be running pretty well already), get more committed volunteers, produce more food, and save more seeds. Bushwick City Farm is open from 12:30PM to sundown on Saturdays and Sundays. Come by and enjoy it, and if you can volunteer, that’s even better.

 

Bridging Bushwick PotLuck

Garden Pot luck Broadway and Greene
                 Bushwick, Brooklyn

July 13th 3-7pm
Bridging Bushwick is a get together that happens once a month to give the community both native and new the opportunity to get to know each other.
We invite everyone in the community to come out, bring a dish and good vibes. This months event will be at The Peoples Garden.  A beautiful tree lined garden with amazing energy.
Bridging Bushwick’s mission is to create bonds and bring people together from all walks of life. Their is a very big gap in our community and we’d like to be able to create a safe space with good energy through, pot lucks, movie nights, open mics and more.
Hope to see some new faces come and build.
Open mic performances by
Educated Lyrical Monsters Bushwick youth.

ELM’s putting on a show

One of the things you should be doing in Bushwick this weekend if your free.
Come out and support the movement.
2:30-3:30 Live art
3:30-4:30 B Boying
4:30-7pm ELM performances with some special features.
We closing it out with a cypher ♥
$5 suggested donations and youth/kids $1 🙂
Join facebook invite here ♥

An Interview with Angelina Dreem of Powrplant

by Bianca Perez

 

***Join Powrplnt this friday for an exhibition of young artists that have completed their fout-week digital art series. The work ranges from video, digital collage, and music. More info here.***

What is Powrplnt? What inspired you to create it? What are your goals for this project?

Powrplnt is a digital art collaboratory. We want to make computers and software accessible to all. We host donation-based classes, free classes for teens, and open lab hours with someone present to answer any questions you may have.

Who are you? What led you to start Powrplnt? Who are the people involved?

I started Powrplnt with the help of my friends Anibal Luque and Sophie Sofar. We each have our own specialty, but came together over a unified vision that access to computers and software should be available to all. We now recruit artists to volunteer three hours of their time. We’re connecting young artists with established artists in the neighborhood.

There’s no doubt that computer savviness is essential for traversing the modern world. How will Powrplnt aid in spreading tech knowledge locally? 

We have our doors open and are available to help anyone with anything computer-based. I went around to schools in the neighborhood and met students interested in more creative software. We are here as a resource until August and have been inviting anyone to hang out and ask questions. I’d also like to add that our specialty is creative computer use, using computers for art-making, which is essential for any professional artist.

 Being that it is so relevant these days, what do you think keeps schools (and other learning facilities) from focusing more on teaching computer skills? 

Cost, and lack of skill from teachers. We want to teach skills are useful when you’re trying to get your ideas across, when you are making multi-media art, and when you are experimenting. We definitely aren’t a technical school. We are by artists for (future) artists. School is bad at teaching anything that strays away from the norm.

How do you see the arts and computer technology amalgamating further in the near future?

They have already been sleeping with each other for a while, but I see more 3D printing and rendering being used in sculpture, and more conceptual interactive pieces that will use programming to dictate and emotional response.

What are some specific skills which Powrplnt will be lending training in?

We are finishing our first four-week course with a group show this Friday, June 27th, from 6 to 10pm. This will display work from students that became familiar with Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and Ableton Live. Our next four-week course, beginning the second week in July, will cover Tumblr design, font and poster making, and how to build a t-shirt brand, which the students will then do and be able to sell.

We are trying to keep the structure very real-world based. By showing the student’s work at the end of the month, they are getting first hand experience that is so valuable. We are preparing young artists to be ready and successful in pursuing a career as an artist and creative. There are still spots for some of these classes if you are a teen or know a teen who may be interested.

We also have teaching artists that are leading all-ages classes in Ableton, Photoshop. and web design.

We are looking for teachers in 3D Rendering software like Blender and Rhino.

How can people get involved with Powrplnt, either to take classes or volunteer?

Everyone should follow our instagram for updates. We have a volunteer form on our website or they can just email powrplnt@gmail.com. We have a kick ass Indiegogo campaign that has really awesome perks. Check out our website at http://www.powrplnt.org/.

Also, just stop in and say hello!

Flyer designs by Bianca Perez.

 

Que Bonita Bandera

Bushwick was filled with a lot of pride this weeknd for the Puerto Rican Day parade. 

People dressed their cars with flags, waved them out their windows, honked their horns yelling prideful things like “Boorrriccuuaa “.

One Bushwick family filled their block with music, dancing, family, barbeques and momentum.  Felt so much like community.  The scenery was too beautiful not to capture. 
Hope you enjoyed these pictures of a Bushwick family living their yearly tradition for 30+ years ♥