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https://blackgirlnerds.com/leah-vernon-doing-her-thing-and-doing-it-right/

Written By: Tariqah Shakir

Leah Vernon is everything you wouldn’t expect of a Muslim or model.

As she whips standards of the fashion world into new shapes, she declares her faith not only by wearing a hijab but a f-cking gorgeous one at that.

She is the author of Beauty and the Muse, a rapidly-growing fashion and body-positive blog, owns her own makeup and fashion brand, and offers wisdom and counseling for the next girl making it as a public speaker.

Her latest book, Unashamed: Musings of a Fat, Black Muslim is like a how-to of her career path and character. The narrowing standards of societal beauty and media-fueled twisting of her Islamic faith is what pushed her to be so boldly creative.

And of course, unashamed.

She begins with the woes of growing up in a household where her faith was born but also where the source of her pains and insecurities lie. Her father was not always in the picture, but when he was, Vernon was tormented by snide comments and outright insults to her weight and faith.

All forms of shaming—whether it be fat-shaming, body-shaming or faith-shaming—is a toxin that needs to go. It’s only worse to be shamed by your own blood. But Vernon was flanked by both family and friends.

Yet she kept at it. Unashamed.

“Deciding, really deciding, to unapologetically wear my hijab for me has been the most freeing and rebellious and feminist thing I could possibly do,” she writes. “I didn’t wear my hijab for others, so they could think that I was a good, practicing Muslim. Nah. I did it because it was me, my crown, my shield. It told people that I was strong in my belief, whether I said it or not.”

She wasn’t always a hero to herself. It took trial and error, years of battling eating disorders, and having to leave a toxic marriage for her to get where she is. On top of that, haters peered around every corner for their chance to shame and belittle.

Body positivity was birthed from the battle to overcome shaming. We see many victims of this cruelty accepting and embracing the insults thrown at them and turning them into silver linings.

“Fat” is now spelled with a “ph” and means “full-figured” and/or “pretty hot and thick.” To be a “slut” now means to be a woman who embraces her sexuality and wears it proudly.

To wear a hijab amid an Islamophobic society is telling of personal security and respect. To walk proudly in clothes found exclusively on size 2-4 models as a size 16 is a bold statement. Vernon does it overboard with bold lipsticks, bright colors, and those gorgeous massive hats.

Now we see major fashion lines and advertising picking up the pace. We see more models above size 8; Black models steadily making a stronger appearance; and Muslim fashion and models trending on social media.

A Black, plus size, and Muslim model is rare, but Vernon is changing that.

In 2016 while doing her thing, editor-in-chief of Muslimgirl.com awarded Vernon “Baddie of the Month.” She was awarded the 2017 Gilda Award as the best artist to express “exceptional potential through creative risk-taking and pushing the boundaries of their chosen art form.”

Now she’s the face of Cosmopolitan, BLAC Mag, and many other fashion blogs and magazines. She’s done countless work with large companies such as Addition ELLE, Adidas Originals, and Go Red for Women, and is now the star of #LeahVDaily, a social and fashion movement on Instagram.

Her Instagram has over 40,000 followers (and counting), and the posts of her creativity keep coming.

“I’ve been there … I’m not a trust fund baby. Not a thin woman. Not a privileged person. I’ve never had financial support from family. But, I’m here,” she wrote recently on her Instagram.

“If you want it, go get it. Make a damn way. Stop listening to that negative inner voice. I got that, too. Imposter syndrome. Stop listening to people that don’t know shit about shit. And do that shit anyway. Stop looking for validation and do that shit anyway. That’s it! Periodt.”

The world could use a bit of this creative confidence and unashamed-ness Vernon exhibits. We’ve had enough of the negative energy, the shaming for being alive — and the younger generations are having none of it. It’s time women and girls pronounce who they are and be just that, regardless of their background, career path, race, or religion.

Grab your copy of Unashamed: Musings of a Fat, Black Muslim wherever copies are sold.

The post Leah Vernon: Doing Her Thing and Doing it Right appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.

https://www.essence.com/fashion/new-years-eve-party-outfits-for-women/

As the month, year and decade come to a swift close, it’s time to shift our attention to celebrating the new year!

If you’re planning on stepping into this new era in style, we’re on the same exact page and want to assist you in your pending slay.

New Years’ Eve celebrations are all about sparkle, shine and standing all the way out and we’ve picked out the perfect looks that’ll help you do just that.

From sequins to silky ensembles, these are our top picks for the season!

Shop below!

The post The Countdown Is On! It’s Time To Get Your New Year Look All The Way Together appeared first on Essence.

https://blackgirlnerds.com/black-people-dont-support-one-another-and-other-false-witness-we-bear/

“What if we believed in Black people as much as we believed in appeasing white people?” —Preston D. Mitchum

They say perception is reality. This is especially true when people desperately want to believe a lie. If you’re a person of African descent such as myself, you’ve probably heard countless times:

“Black people are the only people on the planet who don’t support one another!”

Maybe you even believed it at one point.

Be it racism, antiblackness, lack of critical thinking and/or all of the above, most people accept this at face value.

However, the statement is completely false.

There is no way descendants of the African Diaspora would have been able to weather centuries of slavery, Jim Crow, genocide, and systemic oppression if we did not support one another. To that point, the Underground Railroad, the NAACP, historically Black colleges and universities, Black Wall Street, the Civil Rights Movement, the Harlem Renaissance, and Afrofuturism are all examples of Blacks supporting one another.

If we didn’t support one another:

• President Barack Obama wouldn’t have made history and served two terms. It’s been well documented why the Obama administration was a successful one. Spoiler alert: Black Girl Magic.

• Tyler Perry’s groundbreaking movie studio wouldn’t be providing opportunities to Black Hollywood and shelter to those in need.

• Five incredible Black women would not currently be making HERstory by holding the world’s top beauty pageant titles.

• Icons the likes of Michael and Janet Jackson, Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith, Janelle Monae, Beyonce, Prince, Oprah, Dwayne Johnson, and Shonda Rhimes wouldn’t have reached their respective levels of unprecedented success.

Neither would this very article you’re reading or this website exist if Black people didn’t empower one another.

Yet in spite of all of this evidence, people insist on allowing cognitive dissonance to get the better of them.

“There is always this societal narrative when it comes to the killing or persecution of Black people that we somehow did something to deserve it.” —Janaya Khan

This is why in order to dismantle antiblackness, it is imperative to speak facts, tell the truth, and shame the devil. So let’s talk about it:

• Let’s talk about how Black communities embody the Statue of Liberty’s famous poem, “Give me your tired, your poor / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” Because often Black communities are havens for other minorities in need. Let’s talk about how Lady Liberty was originally designed to celebrate the end of slavery, not the arrival of immigrants. Let’s talk about it.

• Let’s talk about Morehouse launching a new fund to help eliminate student loan debt. Let’s talk about it.

• Let’s talk about the NFL blackballing Colin Kaepernick because he reminded the world that innocent Black citizens are being murdered in cold blood by members of law enforcement. Let’s talk about it.

• Let’s talk about the #MeToo movement being founded by Tarana Burke. Let’s talk about it.

• Let’s talk about ABC’s Fresh Off The Boat star Hudson Yang thanking Black viewers who are larger than the sitcom’s Asian American audience. Let’s talk about it.

• Let’s talk about this heroine making 100 lunches a day to feed any kid in her neighborhood who asks. Let’s talk about it.
  
  
• Let’s talk about Keisha Knight Pulliam and Arian Simone launching a $5 million venture capital fund for Black women entrepreneurs. Let’s talk about it.

• Let’s talk about Producer/Director Greg Berlanti crediting his hero Muhammad Ali for giving him the strength to come out to his parents. Let’s talk about it.
  
• Let’s talk about this do-gooder traveling to all 50 states to mow lawns for veterans. Let’s talk about it.

• Let’s talk about Halle Berry taking extra time to allow Black journalists to interview her on the red carpet. Because, according to the Oscar winner, she can’t forget her brothers and sisters. Let’s talk about it.

• Let’s talk about Jaden Smith launching a food truck to feed the homeless as well as his company working to bring clean water to Flint. Let’s talk about it.

• Let’s talk about Don Cheadle hosting Saturday Night Live while wearing a T-shirt with the emblazoned message: Protect Trans Kids. Let’s talk about it.

No, really, let’s talk about it.

Are there areas of opportunity for the Black community to do better? Without question. However, when compared to other communities, Blacks are actually excelling. A point that’s also been made by North Carolina Senator Mujtaba Mohammed:

“[African Americans] never immigrated here. They were forcefully brought to this country, and they had to fight for themselves. The African American community is a huge example of inspiration for people of color, for immigrants, to stake your claim for this country, that your voice matters.”

Black Excellence isn’t possible without Black love; love for ourselves, our siblings, our communities, our culture. Not only do Blacks support each other but we also support everyone else. We’re the only race to have our culture adopted and emulated by the rest of the world, all over the world. In spite of weathering every unspeakable atrocity possible, our achievements are undeniable.

The United States alone is a testament to this. Every freedom and liberty Americans are enjoying was made a reality by African-Americans. Be it feminism, racial justice, LGBTQ rights, equality for disability, economic reform — there’s not one social justice issue that Blacks didn’t make a reality. That’s Black culture. When we fight for progress, we fight for everyone. We are magical. We are beautiful. We are gifted. We love and support us.

Any claims to the contrary, the devil is a liar.

The post ‘Black People Don’t Support One Another’ and Other False Witness We Bear appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.

https://www.essence.com/news/politics/michael-bloomberg-prison-labor-2020-phone-calls/

Michael Bloomberg, former New York City mayor, multibillionaire, and hardcore advocate for the expansion of Stop-and-Frisk—the racist and discriminatory policing policy that targeted Black and Latinx people, has admitted that his 2020 presidential campaign exploited prison labor to make phone calls on the campaign’s behalf.

The Intercept‘s John Washington broke the story, reporting last week that Bloomberg’s campaign contracted with New Jersey-based call center company ProCom. Two of the company’s call centers in Oklahoma are operated out of state prisons, with incarcerated people in at least one of the prisons contracted to make calls for the Bloomberg campaign.

Exploited workers incarcerated at the Dr. Eddie Warrior Correctional Center, a minimum-security women’s prison with a capacity of more than 900, disclosed that they were making calls on behalf of the Bloomberg campaign, but not that the calls were coming from prisons, nor that they were incarcerated.

Bloomberg campaign responds to that Intercept story. pic.twitter.com/CYdbcNwZev

— Asma Khalid (@asmamk) December 24, 2019

According to ProCom co-founder John Scallan, his company pays the Oklahoma Department of Corrections the Oklahoma minimum wage of $7.25 hourly. The DoC then pays incarcerated workers, who earn up to $27.09 a month. Scallan insists that some of the workers “are making that much every day.”

“We didn’t know about this and we never would have allowed it if we had,” said Bloomberg spokesperson Julie Wood. “We don’t believe in this practice and we’ve now ended our relationship with the subcontractor in question.”

Read the full report at The Intercept.

The post Michael Bloomberg Admits To Exploiting Prison Labor To Make 2020 Campaign Phone Calls: ‘We Didn’t Know’ appeared first on Essence.