Melanated (Aug 2022)

Melanated

August Musings

Hello there! We hope you ’ ve taken the summer to bask in the sun and rejuvenate the way you truly deserve to Melanated has been thinking about what it means to live in luxe If you didn’t get the chance to enjoy the summer that you deserve, we hope you take this moment to think about what luxury means to you

Does luxury mean being able to go to a beautiful resort on an island? Or being able to sleep in and then relax on your couch all day? Luxury can look different for every single person From this perspective, thinking about the things we are grateful for, can help us see the luxe in our life

In the off chance you can’t identify the luxe in your life, you should know that you are also a luxury Like fresh strawberries in winter are desirable and hard to find, you too can be a luxury You have come this far and deserve to feel on top of the world

Take every chance you get to enjoy the comforts around you. To be in great comfort is to live in luxury, even if it’s only for a moment, you deserve to experience luxe

Please take more moments to feel the sun, the wind, and all the ways in which you live in luxury.

Sending you love and light

Spotlight: Dr. Ovita Williams (She/Her)

BY QUENELL REDDEN (SHE/HER)

Dr Ovita Williams is the Executive Director of the Action Lab at Columbia School of Social Work (CSSW) Dr Williams is also Lecturer in Discipline at CSSW and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in intimate partner violence and forensic social work

What is your vision for the Action Lab this year?

The Action Lab is entering its third year and I want to be able to see that it becomes a place where every student regardless of background can build community with each other. A place

where students can expand their imagination radically about changing the world they live in and have the resources to do that

Also, I would like the Action Lab to reach beyond the University and extend to the greater Harlem community. I would also like to bring in more support and collaboration with community members, faculty, staff, and students with a continued focus on social justice and anti-racist lenses. Furthermore, I would like for the Action Lab to build on the core initiatives and work on creating new ones

PHOTOCREDIT: Ovita Williams

As an educator, what do you find is most valuable in preparing upcoming Social Workers?

I believe it is how to be patient with yourself, goals, and passions. To be okay and accept that you are right where you need to be and as a student you have a lot to offer. This shouldn't be a top down system and you shouldn't be told what to do but instead, should be given ownership of your professional and personal awakenings

Utilizing mentors is also an essential aspect You never know who you are going to meet and who is going to impact your life Students should use these years to network, be a part of change, and manage relationships

What advice would you give to any of our Black Students who are grappling with how to prioritize their mental health and self care?

The desire to be seen and heard at an institution like this can contribute to and require a couple of things Getting to know each other, and finding purpose and connection with others to build community are all a part of self care. Being able to connect with like minded folks, setting boundaries, and giving yourself a break are a few of those required things There is so much pressure we place on ourselves and it is important to give yourself grace, make yourself a good meal, and then focus on getting back at it.

What does Black Luxe mean to you?

The term Black Luxe is one that I have heard a lot of but not really explored To me, it means dressing up and I really love jewelry My Mom dresses up in jewelry, sparkles, and just oozes luxury I also admire people who do not care what the hell people say and feel beautiful inside and out.

How do you and your loved ones experience luxury together?

Appreciative being fortunate to afford the things that I can in life. The place I live in, my car, being able to go on the road to travel, those are all luxuries to me Recently, going to Italy with my daughter felt luxurious and a source of independence I also experience it by being able to enjoy the things that I enjoy like lovely meals and hiking. It is also important for me to save ahead for retirement so that I can continue to enjoy my Black Luxe lifestyle as I grow older

Any tips for Black folks wanting to incorporate luxury into their lifestyle?

I am an avid tea drinker, and love delicious tea infused with chocolate The smell alone is elegant and pleasant I also enjoy candles with a glass of wine One sense of luxury we tend to overlook could be making a phone call to someone you haven't spoken to in a while. Being luxurious can be telling someone you are thinking about them, reading a good book, or making a delicious meal Really, it is incorporating and relishing in your own peace.

FUN FACTS

Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

Zodiac: Pisces

Power Word: Independent

Next Vacation Spot: Greece or West Africa

Book Recommendation: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

Currently watching: Stranger Things, Ms Marvel

Favorite quote/adage: "You cannot find peace until you find all the pieces”

What's Happening in the Lab

BY CHANTEL PLUMMER (SHE/HER)

What is the Action Lab?

The Action Lab is a student-led center that stands for social justice and equity through community building, advocacy, and activism Founding members, Dr Desmond Patton, Dr. Susan Witte; and student leaders Natosha Dobbins and Caitlin Yee co-created a resource hub in response to the dual pandemic of COVID19 and the ongoing police brutality against Black and Brown bodies, highlighted by the murder of George Floyd This initiative sparked crucial conversations around the pervasiveness of racism and anti-Blackness that have resulted in calls to action to foster change

The Action Lab continues to raise awareness and address issues that impact our community through the following initiatives:

Action Lab Initiatives:

Action for Black Lives | Disability Justice | Ebony Tower Podcast | Environmental Justice | Oral History | Reimagining Safety and Care | Reproductive Justice | Research and Writing | Social Media | The Lavender Collective | Umoja Circles

Onboarding:

The Action Lab has opportunities for students for field placement, volunteer, and work study positions. To learn more about the Action Lab and ways to support some of our initiatives, please email us at actionlab@columbia edu

Action Lab Highlight: Ebony Tower

Check out our website and follow on IG @csswaction for more updates!

Ebony Tower is a student-led initiative that explores the roles and responsibilities of academia to social justice and equity. Through this racial justice podcast, Columbia faculty, staff, students, and community leaders engage in a series of conversations about race and racism in academia and ways to combat these constructs while continuing to pave the way for racial equity and justice to be fully realized.

Listen to the most recent Ebony Tower discussion titled, "Disciplining

Disciplines: Knowledge and Power Production in the Academy" here This episode features Dr. Gary Okihiro, who is currently a visiting professor of American Studies at Yale University and Professor Emeritus of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University

If you would like to learn more about Ebony Tower, please email Alyssa St. Franc at ans2223@columbia edu

UpliftingStudentArtistsatColumbia: Ana C. Martinez (She/Her/Ella)

Changes

By Ana C. Martinez | MSW 2023 | Advanced Clinical

Let us walk together, to places where you are felt and are seen

Places where you can be you, where you can feel free

Places where you can re-write your history and honor that of your ancestors

Let us walk, you lead, I will follow. I will hold your hand as you hold mine.

You’ll encourage me to look through your eyes, eyes which are beautiful but tarnished by sorrow

I’ll encourage you to dig in the trenches, to find your hope, your light, a glimpse of a good tomorrow.

I will listen more, talk less. I will not presume to know your story, only what you tell me.

I will be your ally, your voice when you ’ re feeling voiceless I’ll be the canvas, you the artist!

We’ll paint your blues and yellows and all your colors in between

And when the world seems cold and has turned its back on you, I can raise awareness, demand, and negotiate changes, changes which you want to see

Let us walk together, to places where you want to be!

Artistic Highlight: Kerby Jean-Raymond

What We're Currently Reading: Freedom Is A Constant Struggle by Quenell Redden

Kerby Jean-Raymond is a fashion designer from Flatbush whose collections integrate "storytelling, activism, debate, theatre and social commentary" This designer aims to provoke dialogue and challenge mainstream narratives about Black Americans by integrating provocative symbols of the past, present and future of our collective truths

Famous founder of the Pyer Moss label, Jean-Raymond put on a series of runway shows titled "American, Also" In his most recent line, titled "Sister", he spotlights Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Black woman who founded Rock 'N' Roll. In other shows he focuses on topics such as black family life and black cowboys. The artist stages his shows at historic sites that are meaningful to Black communities, like the Weeksville Heritage Center in Brooklyn

“Anyway I don't think we can rely on governments, regardless of who is in power, to do the work that only mass movements can do ” - Angela Davis

Angela Davis' Freedom is a Constant Struggle encapsulates pivotal movements domestic and internationally that contribute to the fight towards freedom Drawing on movements like Ferguson, Palestine, Black Panthers, and abolition Davis is able to present an understanding of essential components that are critical in the continuous struggle for freedom. This novel goes through a development of constructing the intersectionality of these movements and individual identities

There is a lot of unpacking in this novel, but it certainly is one that you will not regret!

PHOTO CREDIT: FASHIONNETWORK COM

PHOTO CREDIT: AMAZON COM

Job Opportunities

Training Director | Fountain House (NYC Based)

(Master's Degree and 2-4+ years' experience creating curriculum and teaching at the undergraduate, graduate, post graduate level, or an equivalent, required) Shoot your shot. The successful candidate will be responsible for the development and dissemination of training curricula for Fountain House, a national mental health nonprofit. The candidate will work in tandem with other stakeholders from Fountain House to develop a strategic vision for the Training Team. The Training Director is also responsible for supervising the other roles in the Training Team to ensure high quality training is maintained and community partnerships are strengthened Apply here!

"Aging in America", Inter-professional Student Fellowship on Aging | Manhattan ($5,000 stipend)

Apply for this interprofessional opportunity that seeks to connect providers of care for older adults by teaming students from Columbia's social work, dental medicine, nursing, and public health schools for the purpose of identifying, studying, and proposing plans to address biopsychosocial factors that unite and challenge them in providing care to underserved older people living in Northern Manhattan Apply here!

Social Worker | Innocence Project (NYC Based)

MSW or related degree and experience. LMSW/LCSW preferred, but not required. At least 5 years of systems full time experience working with public benefits/entitlement programs.

The Innocence Project (IP) is hiring a Social Worker to provide holistic, traumainformed social work services to formerly incarcerated clients who have been exonerated or otherwise freed by IP attorneys Such services help clients and their systems of support, navigate the challenges of reentry. This will often include: support with housing security, navigating public benefits, and accessing mental health services, etc. Apply here!

Clinical Coordinator | Acacia Network (NYC Based)

(LMSW/LCSW Required) Assist the Program Director in management of the day-to-day operation of the housing program Oversee the development and implementation of service plans and the clinical coordination of service Facilitate interdisciplinary team meetings, provide individual supervision, and participate in case conferences Ensure compliance with government contracts and regulations. Apply here!

Refl uxe

I used to make excuses as to why I shouldn't splurge on myself, yet I wouldn't hesitate to do it for others. I learned that doing nice things for myself should not be just a reward after stressful times, but the way I "treat" myself should be the standard.

Wear that fancy outfit that you ' ve been saving. And, wear it again and again because it's yours and makes you look and feel amazing!

We deserve to live comfortably and lavishly. I need to get out of survival mode and do something simply because it feels good.

I am my first priority and my most precious possession, and should treat myself as such.

Luxury does not have to be extravagant. It is whatever puts me at ease.

I do not have to feel guilty or bad about enjoying comforts in life.

I can also encourage and make way for others to experience luxury in the ways that feel right for them.

A Letter to My Younger Self: Dear Me, You Should Go

BY MISHAEL SIMS (SHE/HER)

Remember that time you almost went on a road trip

But the road wasn’t calling you to drive

Or that time when you wanted to go to the beach

But the waves didn’t pull you in to dive

Didn’t you want to see that show

But weren’t inspired to see it live

Remember when you planned an amazing trip

But it was only in your mind

The drive will be worth it

The sun will make you glow

The show will be amazing

Dear me, you should go

Once you ’ re out and moving it’s easier to see

That whatever you are doing makes you feel complete

Like walking in the park or eating in the dark

Lying in the grass, not letting life pass

You can remember each moment as a luxury

I want you to take this advice from me

No fancy cars, or massive homes

But peace and serenity when you ’ re out alone

Go out and see the world, one step at a time

But the first step is to step outside

You should go to the movies

You should go to the mall

You should catch that cheap flight

You shouldn’t worry at all

Because when you look back, you’ll think to yourself “I should’ve gone ”

So, to past me, present me, and every future version of me, GO

Does Fancy Make Us Free?

BY KALEA WOODS

Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Black prison abolitionist and scholar, reminds us in Kenton Card's film, Geographies of Racial Capitalism, that modern capitalism necessitates a racial caste system, and that we cannot undo one without undoing the other This truth exists parallel to the grave reality that comfort and happiness are entwined with capitalism Our current system offers few paths to comfort aside from building wealth so that we have to play the game for some relief Black people deserve to be comfortable and carefree We deserve to go on vacation and to spend quality time with our families, to look our best and access the highest quality healthcare This lifestyle is only accessible to us if we ourselves become capitalists, which empowers the system to further disenfranchise those in our communities without capital

With the same zeal by which we take care of ourselves, we must nurture our hometowns and our people. “Lifting as we climb", as they say. We must also sustain a grudge against capitalism even when it benefits us because its functioning always was, and continues to be, contingent upon racialized violence. Sometimes we may have to sacrifice personal luxury for justice We at Melanated believe in a multidimensional truth, and we encourage you to remain vigilant in your commitment to liberation But also, book the flight; buy the bag Luxe looks good on you (:

Source: https://antipodeonline.org/geographies-of-racial-capitalism/

Production Team

AUGUST 2022

Editorial & Design Team

Chantel Plummer (She/Her)

Chief Editor

Kalea Woods (They/Them)

Senior Editor

Mishael Sims (She/Her)

Senior Editor

Quenell Redden (She/Her)

Senior Editor

Want to Contribute to Melanated?

We're accepting short stories, poetry, art, photography, Op-Eds, and letters! All items should be under 400 words Written pieces should be submitted as a Word document; photos in JPEG or PNG format; and video and audio as Mp4s and Mp3s respectively. We remain available to answer any questions you might have Please submit your artistry here!

Contributors

Faculty Highlight

Dr Ovita Williams (She/Her)

Action Lab for Social Justice

What's Happening in the Action Lab

Uplifting Student Artists at Columbia

Ana C. Martinez (She/Her/Ella)