deerstalker

After three years, the Black Interior Designers (BID) conference has returned. Black interior designers were on the scene for the conference held at the 1 Hotel in West Hollywood, California.

Black Interior Designers, Inc., established in 2010, is an international organization for members of the professional Black interior design community. This year marked the organization’s first West Coast event. From September 20 to September 23, designers such as Justina Blakeney, Nikki Chu, Adair Curtis, Carmeon Hamilton, and Brigette Romanek were among the top-tier Black designers at the three-day conference that kicked off with a meet-and-greet. 

The organization is a supportive network that encourages personal and professional growth for members through community and educational resources. 

The event had over 20 speakers present and gave attendees the opportunity to receive mentorship from the best and brightest in the design industry through interviews, networking, and other learning opportunities. The BID conference was created by Keia McSwain, president of Black Interior Designers, Inc. and an award-winning interior designer.

This year’s conference was an all-encompassing event focused on sharing a wealth of knowledge geared toward awakening new ideas and inspiring people who are new to the industry as well as people with years of experience and professional backgrounds in design. 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Black Interior Designers, Incorporated (@blackinteriordesignersinc)

McSwain and her team coordinated the event and featured some of the greatest talents in interior design across the U.S. The BID conference was established to formulate an experience where attendees would receive information and feel supported and encouraged to pursue their dreams of growing in the industry.

“The mission of the Black Interior Designers conference this year is to inspire, uplift, and create resources and networking. So that designers, both novice, working, and vetted, can all be inspired by the experiences of others,” said McSwain. “So we’re here to produce for these designers, partners and sponsors the reality of what interior design is, what it means for Black interior designers, and how we bring life to the interior design community.”

Her vision is to break barriers in the design industry and enable marginalized communities to take part in interior design.

“It’s no secret at all that minorities have been put at the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to their talent and culture,” McSwain said. “We want to catapult these resources for these designers and put them right before everyone. We want to let consumers and homeowners know that we are truly talented, gifted, and ready to make some homes their total sanctuary.”

A plethora of topics were discussed at the empowering event, such as brand building, virtual design, unlocking social media opportunities, and optimizing kitchen and bath design.

A highlight of Star Wars: Ahsoka episode seven was getting to watch Anakin Skywalker return one more time. This time however, not in the World Between Worlds. Ahsoka was actually watching him in an old training hologram, recorded decades before. Hayden Christensen returned to play his younger self, tutoring his Padawan apprentice. He even mentioned how Ahsoka might have to face certain foes in battle, name-dropping Clone Wars villains General Grievous, Dooku, and Asajj Ventress. But Ahsoka watching a training holo from her old mentor is actually a call back to Rebels season two, episode 18. You can watch the moment in question below:

At the point that Ahsoka is watching this hologram in Rebels, she suspects that her old Master is actually alive. In fact, she sensed he was alive when she made contact through the Force with Darth Vader earlier that season. But she’s also a bit in denial at this point about what she felt coming from the mind of the Sith Lord. She wouldn’t find out for sure until she faced Vader in battle in the Rebels episode “Twilight of the Apprentice.” Thanks to Rebels, we know that Anakin making holograms for his apprentice was not something invented solely for Star Wars: Ahsoka.

Ahsoka mentioned in the episode how Anakin recorded some 20 of these for her during her training. The one she was watching in episode seven was but the last of them. But, that means there are 18 more of these we haven’t seen, which they could show us over time. Or, they may choose to keep them a mystery. We just know that after the last few episodes of Ahsoka, we’re down for more Hayden as Anakin any way we can get him. We’ll happily take more training holograms if that’s how it can happen.

The post AHSOKA’s Anakin Skywalker Moment Is a Direct Callback to REBELS appeared first on Nerdist.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) is aiming to close the mentorship gap for Black youth as it looks to attract 1 million supporters.

The effort comes as the organization reports there are 30,000 backlogged mentees waiting to be matched with a mentor. The BBBSA declares there are five times more boys on the waiting list than girls hoping for a “Big.” Most of the youth are boys of color.

“It Takes Little to Be Big,” the new national brand campaign, is intended to challenge myths and shift perceptions. The supporters BBBSA is recruiting include mentors, volunteers, influencers, strategic partners, and alums.

The BBBSA, which identifies itself as “the nation’s largest and most experienced mentoring organization,” plans to unite alums, supporters, celebrities, and partners to become mentors and show its efforts are vital to the success of today’s children. BBBSA reports serving 400,000 young people in 5,000 communities across 50 states. The organization says over 70% of young people, or “Littles,” are from communities of color.

BBBSA President and CEO Artis Stevens stated, “We believe in the power of mentorship — we’ve seen its lifelong impact for the millions of kids we’ve served, and on the lives of Bigs who serve as mentors.”

Stevens is the first Black CEO in the BBBSA’s 100-plus-year history.

The push comes as BBBSA says one in three kids today in America is growing up without a sustained, positive adult mentor. It believes the gap between mentorship and youth who mostly need it keeps widening because of perceived barriers and expertise needed to become a mentor.

According to a news release, a cornerstone of the campaign is “A Million Little Moments,” a digital storytelling initiative on BeBigNow.org and BBBSA’s social media platforms.

Other campaign details, with some big names behind it, include:

•  A new PSA, created in partnership with Dentsu Creative and the Ghanaian-American creative entrepreneur Joshua Kissi. “It features real Bigs and Littles, bringing the authentic moments of mentorship to life to show the impact and importance of mentorship through visual storytelling.” Kissi has worked with the likes of Serena Williams, LeBron James, and the beauty brand Ulta.

•  Grammy-nominated recording artist Aloe Blacc created a campaign anthem called “Never Let You Down.” BBBSA says the song will be available for download on all streaming platforms, with a portion of the money raised going to the organization.

•  BBBSA has partnered with industry leaders to amplify the campaign and encourage the support of volunteers and donors. It says Clear Channel Outdoor will launch a series of “It Takes Little to Be Big” billboards in key U.S. markets including New York City, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Dallas.

Visit here to gain more details on the campaign.

We’ve seen some awesome, nerdy Airbnbs in our day. We’ve seen a few that look like Hobbit holes and some that emulate the Haunted Mansion or Scooby’s Mystery Machine. But this Airbnb based on the Shrek franchise just might beat them all. Located in Scotland’s Highlands, this is a perfect replica of the home of everyone’s favorite green ogre. Shrek’s Swamp is available for one weekend only, October 27-29 of this year for $0. (We’re guessing Shrek is on vacay that weekend). Bookings open on October 13 at 6 PM BST. So whoever wants to stay there, we wish that the keyboard gods look kindly upon you.

Click To View Gallery

Shrek himself won’t be home, but it appears by the listing that Donkey will greet visitors. This house features everything you’d want from Shrek’s Swamp house that you saw in the movies. It’s got a dirt floor, a wood bed, and a dinner table with a candle designed to mimic the earwax candle. The adherence to Shrek details extends beyond the immediate interiors and exteriors of the house, with “Beware Ogre” and “Stay Out” signs outside. Luckily, the house has an actual working toilet with a sink, so you won’t be forced to use the outhouse like Shrek did in the movies. No one needs that level of sticking to Shrek canon.

So who actually owns this property? All we know is that the Ardverikie Estate owns it. We don’t know why they built it, as it doesn’t seem to be permanently meant for Airbnb. Maybe they’re just the world’s biggest fans of the Kingdom of Far, Far Away, and wanted a little slice of it for themselves? The listing for the Shrek house notes that they paid Universal Studios for the rights to any characters and similarities to the animated franchise. Airbnb is making a one-time donation to Scotland’s HopScotch Children’s Charity as part of this promotion.

The post Shrek’s Swamp Is Now a Screen Accurate Airbnb appeared first on Nerdist.