The Christmas holiday is upon us, and the smells of mistletoe and balsam are in the air. Over the next few weeks, if you are out and about shopping, you will encounter tons of holiday music everywhere you go. It’s time to get in all of your holiday grooves now before December 25th, when all of…
The ESSENCE of Music…
Picture it: 1997, a summer’s night in New Orleans. I was 16 years old, and my best friend had scored free tickets to the Essence Festival. At the time, the festival was in its toddler stages, but it quickly became known as the music event of the summer in the city. That magical night ended…
Straight Outta Kenya: Meet Mwende “FreeQuency” Katwiwa, Poetic Changemaker
Did you know that May 25th is celebrated as Africa Day throughout the African continent and in parts of the global Black diaspora? Its purpose is to commemorate the founding of the Organization of African States (now known as the African Union) by freedom fighters like Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and Emperor Haile Selassie of…
Healing Hands: A Conversation with Itshanapa Dail Chambers
My strongest intention is focused on my healing hands. My healing hands can create the Reiki. My healing hands can create art. My healing hands can write. – Itshanapa The saying goes, “a woman’s work is never done,” but artist and healer Itshanapa Dail Chambers wears so many hats it’s almost dizzying. Visual artist. Poet….