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https://www.blackenterprise.com/woman-fights-black-farmers/

Jillian Hishaw is fighting for Black farmers who faced discrimination, after her own family lost their Oklahoma farm due to theft.

The author, agricultural attorney, and nonprofit leader wants to make sure the families of mostly older Black farmers feel peace of mind before they pass away. She believes her actions can help restore the legacy her grandfather wanted her to leave, according to Capital B.

But, the fight hasn’t been easy for Hishaw. She told the outlet, “With all of the [lawsuits] filed by the white farmers, they got discovery within days, and they got an injunction within days … for me representing all Black farmers, whether it’s in front of whatever court, they’re not even giving me discovery,” she said.

Hishaw is fighting for farmers like Marvin Smith in rural Georgia. Smith is battling to protect his family’s 600 acres of land that was purchased in 1926.

The private Sandersville Railroad Co. is trying to seize the property through eminent domain for a new railroad, despite resistance from Smith and other Black residents who refused to sell, Capital B reported.

Smith testified during a four-day hearing in November 2023. “The American dream says if you play by the rules and work hard, justice will prevail and you will be rewarded. It never occurred to me … over 43 years of playing by the rules … I would end up in a position where my land could be taken through eminent domain,” he said. The land has been used to pay for education and is still being farmed today, Capital B noted.

Sandersville’s president, Benjamin Tarbutton III, believes economic development and jobs are most important, stating, “The American dream starts with a job.” He claimed he wanted to seize the land for his railroad to create jobs, Capital B reported.

Despite barriers, Black families press on to preserve their land legacy. Attorney Bill Maurer with the Institute for Justice, who represents Sparta property owners, questioned Tarbutton. “Do you think part of the American dream is having property without it being taken for others use?” he asks.

This clash represents the ongoing struggle by Black families across America to retain their land against racism, discrimination, and theft.

RELATED CONTENT: North Carolina Farmers, Faith Leaders Gave Over 400 Boxes of Produce To Combat Food Insecurity

https://www.blackenterprise.com/ballet-dancer-60s-skin-tone-pointe-shoes/

After 60-plus years, Robin Williams, a ballet dancer, recently experienced a first: performing in pointe shoes that actually matched her brown skin tone.

Williams, herself in her 60s, purchased brown pointe shoes and tights for her Nutcracker performance this past December. Her shoes came with dyed ribbons and elastics to match her complexion perfectly, CNN reported. The store was not named, but her purchase marked a milestone, as today’s Black dancers are now able to buy shoes that match their hue.

Williams reflected that early in her career in the 1960s, as the lone black ballerina in her company, brown pointe shoes weren’t an option. Her teacher emphasized that the pink tights were supposed to match the dancers’ skin. “I thought about it when she said that because I was like, ‘Well our skin isn’t pink.’ And I never forgot that,” Williams recalled, according to the outlet.

The traditional pink shoes and tights break the visual line of the body on Black dancers, disrupting the intended graceful effect. Some directors still make dancers of color wear pink for the sake of “uniformity.” While more shades have become available since 2020, “pancaking,” or slathering pointe shoes in makeup or foundation to modify the color, remains a common practice.

World-renowned ballerina Misty Copeland shared a video of her painstaking pointe shoe makeup routine, saying the lack of options always made her feel excluded. Last September, Copeland started a petition for more diverse shades for Apple’s ballet shoe emoji.

For Cortney Taylor Key, who teaches dance at the Misty Copeland Foundation, watching Arthur Mitchell’s Dance Theatre of Harlem performing in tights that matched their skin tones was groundbreaking. “There’s no amount of money that would make me disrespect Arthur Mitchell by wearing pink tights,” she said, according to CNN. She called traditional European pink “a tradition, and it can change.”

While grateful for the progress, Taylor Key still modifies her own shoes to match her tone. The pancaking process is tedious, frustrating and costly, she said, and it wears shoes down faster. She hopes Copeland’s petition accelerates change for the better.

Meanwhile, for Williams, finally being able to perform in shoes her own shade was a breakthrough moment and a sign of hope for a more inclusive future of ballet.

RELATED CONTENT: Misty Copeland To Mentor Young Ballerinas In New Oxygen Series

https://www.blackenterprise.com/plus-size-tiktoker-criticized-seatbelt-extender-plane/

Plus-size TikTok creator Samyra Miller experienced the doubled-sided nature of viral fame when a video showing her ask for a seatbelt extender on a plane took off online. While some expressed sympathy, others criticized her tone and questioned her health.

Miller, a Harvard graduate and singer-activist based in New Orleans, has over 1.6 million TikTok followers, according to Business Insider. On Dec. 19, she posted footage of herself unable to fit the unusually short seatbelt on a Delta flight and asking staff for an extender while waiting for a response.

The video received over 3 million views, but the praise in the comments was joined by many judgmental responses. Critics took issue with her phrasing, saying she didn’t say “please,” and made assumptions about her health based on her size.

Miller posted a response on Dec. 23, though it’s no longer available. She said it received nearly 19,000 likes, showing that many were more concerned with her tone than the airline neglecting to provide adequate safety restraints, the site reported.

“I’m never ‘passionate’ like my other counterparts. I’m ‘loud,’ I’m ‘angry,’ I’m ‘entitled,’ I have ‘audacity.’ Because who am I, as a fat, Black woman to have wants? To have desires? To have dreams?” she said. “You want us to shrink ourselves so bad, and for what?”

Miller received an outpouring of support in the comments, with many calling such policing of her tone a racist microaggression.

She is not the first plus-size creator to face backlash when highlighting the difficulties of air travel. TikToker Jae’lynn Chaney has campaigned for extra free seats, a policy Southwest Airlines already has.

While Miller’s initial video went viral, her response calling out racist and fat-phobic comments received far less traction. But the passionate support in the comments showed many rejecting the notion she was “rude” for simply asking for a seatbelt that fits.

RELATED CONTENT: Southwest Airlines Gain Praise From Plus-Sized Influencers Over Free Extra Seat

https://blackgirlnerds.com/7-black-books-we-cant-wait-to-read-in-january-2024/

The start of a new year is the perfect time to set goals and make positive changes in our lives. I may sound a little biased, but the perfect new year’s resolution is to indulge in more books.

Just like any muscle in our body, our brain needs exercise to stay sharp; to be entertained; to be challenged. Reading regularly stimulates cognitive functions, improves memory, and enhances analytical thinking.

Whether you’re looking to escape with historical fiction or get some practical advice to help you achieve your goals, the new year has no shortage of great new books by Black authors. Here are my stand-out picks for January releases.

Black Women, Ivory Tower by Jasmine L. Harris

Black women are heading to college in record numbers, and more and more Black women are teaching in higher education. Unfortunately, our safety is not guaranteed in these spaces. Willpower may improve achievement for Black women in school, but they don’t secure our belonging. The very structure of higher education ensures that we’re treated as guests, and even outsiders to the educational institution.

Dr. Harris shares her own experiences attempting to be a Vassar Girl and reckoning with a lack of legacy and agency. She also examines the day-to-day impacts on Black women as individuals, the longer-term consequences to our professional lives, and the generational costs to our entire families. I am so excited for this one.

The American Queen by Vanessa Miller

Set in the mid 1860s, The American Queen is a gripping novel based on actual historical events. Over the twenty-four years she was enslaved on a Montgomery plantation, Louella learned to hate. She developed hate when her mother was sold and for when her daddy was left to hang from a noose. It’s a hate so powerful there’s no room in her heart for love, not even for the honorable Reverend William, whom she likes and respects enough to marry. The book centers around Louella’s hope that leads her to become the only known queen of a kingdom built on American soil.

I Did a New Thing by Tabitha Brown

Years ago, Tabitha Brown started a 30-day personal challenge that she called “I Did a New Thing!” Every day she would do something she’d never done before, from trying a new food to speaking to someone she’d never had before. I Did a New Thing is the perfect book to help you get 2024 off to the best start. Whether it’s trying a new food or updating our wardrobe, Auntie Tab encourages us to step outside our comfort zone to create positive change in our lives. We are here for it!

The House of Plain Truth by Donna Hemans

The House of Plain Truth is a gripping story about family secrets and sacrifice. When her father dies, a woman is sent on a mission to find her estranged siblings and learn the truth about a secret that tore her family apart. Moving through time and place, from Cuba to Montego Bay and from Brooklyn to Havana, The House of Plain Truth traces Pearline’s reconciliation between what she thought she knew about her family and the real truth.

Get the F*ck Out Your Own Way by MJ Harris

If you need someone to give it to you straight, look no further than MJ Harris. Following Harris on social media is one experience, so I know that his new book, Get the F* Out Your Own Way, is going to be good! This book hopes to help you identify the ways in which you block your own blessings and to give you the tools you need to let it all go. It’s the perfect book to start the year off right.

Madness by Antonia Hylton

In Madness, award-winning journalist Antonia Hylton tells the story of Crownsville Hospital, one of the nation’s last segregated asylums located in Maryland. In 1911, officials marched twelve Black men into the heart of a forest. Under the supervision of a doctor, the men were forced to clear the land, pour cement, lay bricks, and harvest tobacco. When construction finished, they became the first twelve patients Crownsville Hospital for the Negro Insane. It is a vivid account of the inhumane conditions, including Black patients forced to undergo experimental treatment without their consent. This book will definitely be difficult one to read but necessary.

And Then We Rise by Common

Rapper, actor and activist Common has achieved success in many areas of his life and career, from music to acting to writing. But for a long time, he didn’t feel that he had found fulfillment in his body and spirit. And Then We Rise is about Common’s journey to wellness as a vital element of his success. The book is composed of four different sections, each with its own lessons: This will be another good one to help you live your best life in the new year.

All books will be available wherever books are sold. Consider purchasing from Bookshop.org, where every purchase on the site financially supports independent bookstores. The platform gives independent bookstores tools to compete online and financial support to help them maintain their presence in local communities.