CBU January 2024 Emagazine

C B U EMAG

Jan 2024 Fitness Enthusiast, Model & World Traveler

Leve’ll Cole’s 5 Habits For A Healthy And Balanced Life In 2024

Model: Leve’ll Cole @levellcole Photo by: Harvey Jackson

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CONGRATS, AUNTIE! Angela Bassett added another accolade to her shelf at the 14th Governors Awards, where she received an Honorary Oscar for her contributions to the film industry.

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When is Mar tin L uther King Jr. Day t h i s y e a r a n d w h y i s i t c e l e b r a te d ?

B y Jana H ay e s, The Oklahoman

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is coming up this month, a federal holiday honoring the life and birthday of the influential civil rights leader.

Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming holiday, why we celebrate it and why it's more than just a long weekend.

When is MLK Jr. Day 2024?

This year, Martin Luther King Jr. Day will be recognized on Monday, Jan. 15. While the holiday is always celebrated on the third Monday of January, this year it will fall on King's birthday.

The holiday is one of several that fall on a specific Monday each year, thanks to the Uniform Monday Holiday Act signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968. The law was enacted so that workers would have several long weekends throughout the year, including Washington's Birthday (Presidents Day), Memorial Day and Columbus Day.

When did MLK Jr. Day become a holiday?

Legislation to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day was initially introduced a mere four days after his April 4, 1968 assassination, according to the Smithsonian Institute.

But it wasn't until Nov. 2, 1983 — after 15 years of activists campaigning for a holiday recognizing King and increasing public support with help from musician Stevie Wonder — that President Ronald Reagan signed the King Holiday Bill into law.

Since then, the third Monday in January has been a federal holiday to commemorate the civil rights leader.

The holiday has been recognized in all 50 states since early 2000

Why is MLK Jr. Day celebrated in America?

The holiday is set aside to honor the life and work of Dr. King, and for Americans to "reflect on the principles of racial equality and nonviolent social change espoused by Dr. King," according to Britannica.

It is also the only federal holiday set aside as a national day of service, meant to be "a day on, not a day off," according to the Department of the Interior.

Coretta Scott King once said, according to the department, "The greatest birthday gift my husband could receive is if people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds celebrated the holiday by performing individual acts of kindness through service to others."

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Getting better with money starts with taking care of yourself Here are four resolutions to help improve your finances this year

I’ve always been a fan of making New Year’s resolutions. Why not?

It’s time well spent. Setting goals each year is a step toward a new beginning, another chance to get something right. So what if you didn’t accomplish last year’s promises? Even a failed attempt can get you closer to your financial aspirations.

To help you with your resolution-making for 2024, I have four suggestions. It starts with recognizing the connection between your mental health and financial wellbeing, and then taking practical steps to realize your goals.

Resolution No. 1: Unpack your past Are your spending and saving habits a reflection of your personal backstory?

Where do your money habits originate? Do you see yourself in any of these scenarios: • You find it hard to spend because of childhood poverty? (I like to joke that my grandmother was so tight with her money that when she held a penny, Lincoln would scream.)

• Or maybe you are the opposite of a penny pincher, and memories of going without as a child have you overspending now trying to erase those feelings?

• Did you live a silver-spoon lifestyle as a child getting everything you wanted, making it hard to deny yourself as an adult even though it’s crushing your ability to build wealth?

• Did you watch your parents fight about money and, as a result, take their issues into your marriage?

• Have you run up your credit cards trying to overcompensate for the challenges of being a single parent?

As regular readers of this column know, I was raised by my grandmother, Big Mama.

Although she was a master at handling her money, she worried about making ends meet. She was raising five grandchildren on a nurse’s aide’s salary, and she had a husband with a drinking problem. The local bars got more of my grandfather’s paycheck than we did many paydays.

I inherited my grandmother’s financial acumen, but also her spirit of worry.

I’ve been working with a therapist to address my anxieties, especially since my husband retired last year. I fret about spending down what we’ve saved. In my head, I hear my grandmother say, “You just never know what’s going to happen.”

Do the work to figure out what’s been the roadblock to fixing your financial stress that has led to some bad decisions. If your health plan has a behavioral health benefit, use it.

If you don’t have coverage for therapy, look online for sliding-fee-scale behavioral health services. If you need assistance with finding mental health resources in your area, call 211 to speak with a live person who can help.

Resolution No. 2: Repair broken relationships As many folks learned during the pandemic, they needed to lean on friends and relatives for financial support.

But you can’t count on somebody being there for you if you haven’t talked to them in years. Maybe things can’t be resolved. Some relationships are too toxic to repair. However, with family counseling or individual therapy, you might be able to address grievances that created a wedge in your relationship.

I’m not suggesting you be nice to people just so they can bail you out, especially if you’re a poor money manager. This is about creating a network of goodwill that goes both ways.

Here’s something else to consider: Who is going to take care of you in your old age? If you’re estranged from your adult children or other relatives, who will help you if you need long-term care? Even if you have the money to hire assistance, somebody should watch over things for you.

In 2021, about 38 million family caregivers in the United States provided an estimated 36 billion hours of care to an adult who needed long-term care, according to an AARP report released last year.

One of the things I hear often from caregivers is that they can’t get their adult siblings to help take care of a parent.

Why? Unresolved issues.

Resolution No. 3: Create a vision board Once you’ve identified the core issues holding you back, develop a vision board on how you want to change things.

Get a poster board and find images online or from magazines around the house.

Alternatively, you can create a digital version of your board.

Don’t underestimate the power of a vision board. It’s a physical reminder of your resolutions.

If you suffer from a sense of entitlement because you didn’t have much as a child, your board might have pictures of a life that depicts what it’s like to have emergency savings and a retirement account.

If your 2024 goal is to get out of debt, cut out phrases and pictures representing financial freedom. Look for quotes about being in debt.

Here’s one you can use: “If I had one piece of advice to give to young people … it would be just don’t get in debt.” It’s advice Warren Buffett gave to a teenager during a Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting 20 years ago.

Resolution No. 4: Set specific and measurable goals “I want to save more,” isn’t specific enough.

Instead, write down how much you want to save.

For instance, if you want to create or build up an emergency fund, set a goal for a realistic amount ($25 every paycheck, or just $5). Then, have the money automatically deducted from your pay and put it into a dedicated savings account.

It is not enough to envision the goal. You have to take action.

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Advice for Black Men on Purpose, Brotherhood and Family

“It’s just hard out there for a Black man.” It’s a saying that’s trite because it’s so well understood and universally accepted as truth.

Any quality of life statistic seems to support this notion. Black men have the shortest lifespans, highest incarceration rates, highest rates of death from firearms and lowest rates of employment.

“It is not easy being a man in today’s world, especially being a black man,” said Darrick D. McGhee, Sr., a minister, lobbyist and government relations executive based in Tallahassee, Florida.

“But we can’t buckle under the pressure because the next generation needs us. We’ve got to be that bridge that helps them get over.”

Black Men’s Health recently hosted a virtual discussion with McGhee who talked about the three most important things Black men need to have in this world: family, purpose and brotherhood.

We listed the four most powerful pieces of advice McGhee had for Black men from that interview.

Darrick D. McGhee, Sr.

By Tacuma Roeback, blackmenshealth.com

Advice #1: Get clear about your life’s purpose because it’s not about your career.

Writer and historian Thomas Carlyle once said that “A man without a goal is like a ship without a rudder.” But too many men associate a purpose or goal with a vocation or salary. But purpose is so much more.

“Regardless of what position I may hold, regardless of how much money I make on the job, none of that equates to purpose,” McGhee said. “And we put a lot of stock into those things and we become miserable because it’s never going to be enough.

The key is to discover God’s purpose for your life: why you are here versus what you do, says McGhee. That means eschewing hollow, materialistic goals for a path more meaningful and impactful to the world around you.

That’s how McGhee was able to clarify his purpose.

“My purpose is to become a beacon of hope for all those I have come into contact with, to be an extension of the Lord I believe and be a blessing to people.”

How can you utilize your gifts in the most fulfilling way possible? What is something you offer that can better this world?

Advice #2: As men, you will struggle and have weaknesses, but that’s okay.

If you are struggling with self-esteem issues, “you’re in good company,” McGhee said.

But even if you are, you can’t keep it bottled up.

“Brother you have to be honest with yourself about what you’re struggling with, about those challenges,” he said. “We all at some point have a period of fear over something. Right? So you have to be honest about that.”

How can you tap into prayer and spirituality to address those areas?

“So when I admit to the Lord that I am weak in this area, I can see him strong in that area,” said McGhee about how he addressed his own issues.

Advice #3: All men need brothers who will hold them accountable and lift them up when they need it.

“You need a covenant brother or brothers that you can go to and be honest, be transparent, be vulnerable with,” said McGhee. He advises that men have male friendships where they build each other up.

Why is this important? When men don’t have these relationships, they can end up taking their frustrations out on others, especially their families.

“At the same point, you need that outlet,” McGhee said. “Trust me you need it, and your family needs it.”

Advice #4: We must bond together to help our children and the younger brothers out there.

Even if you’ve had to overcome a lot and suffered your share of slings and arrows, you can’t solely dwell on your pain.

“That is my charge to Black men, that we think beyond ourselves and we think about our other brothers. Because we all know that if that other brother folds and buckles, it’s a domino effect of impact for a lot of people, especially [their] children,” said McGhee.

McGhee says that men who can’t move past their pain will only inflict more damage on their children. In turn, those children could begin life holding pent up anger, frustration and resentment.

It’s for that reason, he says, that Black men must step up for their families and brothers.

“When we straighten our backs up, we hold our heads up high, and we walk upright as men, guess what happens?”

“We can help so many more people because of how we walk upright.”

Log on to Bleu Magazine online Unveiling a tidal wave of looks for the cover story of @BleuMagazine featuring the incredible @rackkwall! https://bleumag.com/ Photographer @andrewzaeh

Common, the renowned artist, actor, and author, will share insights from his latest book, And Then We Rise: A Guide to Loving and Taking Care of Self. This personal journey explores nutrition, fitness, mental health, and spiritual well-being, offering insight on Common's holistic approach to wellness.

Ok Gentlemen...Winter is here and as the temperatures plummet during these cold, blustery winter months, you need to change up your skincare routine to best protect your skin against the elements. Lower humidity levels and decreased moisture in the air dries out your skin more quickly. Add to that the crankin’ up of the thermostats (because our ladies are cold) and your skin takes a beating! The best defense to prevent damaged skin and hair is a good set of products that provide great skin care for men of color that’s easy to use, so you’ll do it every day. Also, staying hydrated and protecting your skin by dressing appropriately in cold, inclimate weather will prevent the elements from zapping your skin of its moisture. Winter skin can bring dryness, irritation, and peeling which can lead to severe discomfort without proper care.

Here are 5 skincare tips to keep in mind this winter: 1. Moisturize with the Right Products For men of color, it’s about choosing products that are best suited for our skin type. Skincare for black men is different in nature due to the types of concerns we experience. Ashy skin, rough dry skin and oily skin in combination create a set of unique factors. Therefore, cleansers, moisturizers, and protectants should be ultra-moisturizing and ultra-hydrating. They can include, natural beard balm, moisturizing body balm and lip balm that are oil-based (think coconut oil or sweet almond oil) and include essential oils and key vitamins to protect, nourish and hydrate. Protecting and moisturizing differently in the winter months is a must. Oil-based moisturizers compared to water-based products keep skin ultra moisturized for longer periods of time. Going all-natural with your moisturizers and finding products made with high-quality ingredients that are free of fragrance and harsh chemicals will leave skin softer, healthier and more hydrated in the harsh winter months. When selecting products to protect your skin, beard and hair from the barrage of moisture-depleting factors that are winter’s trifecta (wind, dry air and low humidity), choosing products designed for black men's skincare is a must and is the first line of defense to keep you looking and feeling good this winter.

2. Protect Your Beard Wearing a scarf to protect your neck and beard from the harsh elements can keep you from scratching that beard due to the drying out of the skin underneath, unnecessary breakage of your beard hair due to brittleness or licking those dry lips. Beards do not protect your skin from loss of moisture that occurs when it's brutally cold and windy. The skin under your beard and beard hair dries out when not properly cared for and protected from the elements. If you're a guy who takes pride in his beard or is beginning to grow one, selecting a conditioning beard balm or natural beard oil for black men as part of your skincare regimen will keep the skin beneath your beard conditioned and your beard soft and tangle-free resulting in a bigger, healthier beard that you can be proud of. It will look and feel great and won’t suffer from brittleness, dryness or breakage that often comes with winter.

3. Protect Your Face, Lips and Hands Bundle up when you head out this winter! Being sure to wear gloves and scarf to protect your face, lips, and hands from the cold and wind. When you head out into the cold, be sure to use a natural body balm, clarifying face moisturizer or lip balm (think shea or mango butter) as the first layer of defense that locks in moisture and provides a barrier to limit dehydration from the cold winter air.

Keeping your great smile this winter means keeping your face and lips healthy and moisturized.

Adding that necessary layer to lock in moisture and prevent skin irritation and dryness is key to looking and feeling great all winter long.

4. Cleanse and Exfoliate Preparing your skin to absorb the moisturizers or skin conditioners you will provide it this winter is an important first step in any skincare routine. Cleansing skin of the day’s oils, that are unique to black men and other men of color, is an important daily ritual that will keep your skin healthy and prevent the clogging of pores which can lead to acne and other unpleasant skin conditions.

Choosing an all-natural facial cleanser and body wash for black men that contains ingredients that are highly moisturizing is a critical step in caring for winter skin. Showering for no more than 10 minutes with warm water, not hot, and selecting a gentle plant-based body wash will leave your skin feeling fresh and rejuvenated!

Secondly, exfoliating dead skin cells and flaky dry skin is also an important step in any quality skincare routine. For men of color who may suffer from dry skin, exfoliation once or twice each week can make all the difference in the look and feel of your skin. Dry air and cold winter winds wreak havoc on our skin, the largest organ of the human body. Assisting our skin in removing dead skin cells by exfoliating with an oil-rich exfoliant will leave skin soft and smooth.

5. Hydrate Water. Water, Water. The Earth is comprised of 71 % water. Our bodies are made up of 60% water. Water is important! In the summer, we tend to drink more water due to the warmer temps and the activities we engage in. It’s easier to consume the amount of water our bodies need in these conditions. On the flip side, when the air is drier and cooler, and our activities wane, we tend to drink less water. Even with the lower temperature and drier air of winter, we need to always stay hydrated. One of the first signs that indicate to ourselves and others that our bodies are dehydrated is the look of our skin. It can appear dull, sallow and wrinkles can be more pronounced (we know this doesn’t pertain to you of course…) Finding creative ways to consume the necessary amount of water each day will ensure healthier skin, ward off fatigue and keep your mind sharp! Add a bit of lemon juice to your water, keep a refillable water bottle at your desk or in your car, track your water intake and reward your daily goal with another beverage that contains mostly water. Whatever it takes. It takes 21 days to form a new habit so be patient.

Creating a new habit of getting the necessary daily intake of water will improve all of your bodily functions and your skin will look fantastic!

Follow these tips this winter and your skin will never look better!

By Sam Davis

Often times, men would neglect the need of purchasing basic skin care products or use whatever their partner buys for them. For the men who are interested in having youthful, moisturized skin, some are discouraged by the many products on the shelf with no real proper education on why it is important to use the product and/or how often to use it. This is why we created Bedewed Skin For Men. The Bedewed Skin For Men products are formulated with powerful plant-based ingredients, yet gentle to the skin. Our vision for this line is quite simple.

We aim to provide men with effective skincare products that would meet the needs of their skin, provide education on the ingredients that are in our products and why we choose to use them, and teach men how to incorporate a basic skincare routine into their busy schedule.

That's it....simple.

Check out our full line of men products at www.bedewedskincare.com and follow us on Instagram @BedewedSkin so that you do not miss ANY skincare blogs for men and/or helpful skincare tips. Until Next Time, Stay Moisturized!

2023 Year In Review: 5 Trends That Defined R&B

(From left) Babyface, Emily King, SZA, Usher & Summer Walker

R&B dominated in 2023, with women leading the vocal-charge behind R&B’s biggest recognitions. From deep confessional projects to the comeback of Usher, check out this year’s R&B biggest trends R&B lovers were spoiled in 2023.

Talented legends received well-deserved flowers, while focused newcomers celebrated many exciting firsts. Usher set his sights on an epic comeback, and Best New Artist nominees Coco Jones and Victoria Monét (who are nominated in the category alongside Gracie Abrams, Fred again.., Ice Spice, Jelly Roll, Noah Kahan, and The War And Treaty) set the R&B charts ablaze while embarking on their first headlining tours.

R&B in particular is set up for a big year at the 2024 GRAMMYs: SZA earned the most nominations at the 66th GRAMMY Awards with a total of nine, followed by Monét with seven nods. What's more, women led the way in the genre this year — four out of the five Best R&B Album and Best R&B Song nominees are ladies.

As R&B music continues to evolve and shatter naysayers' expectations, revisit some of the biggest trends that defined the genre in 2023.

The Ladies Dominated Women ate and left no crumbs in 2023. Vulnerable as ever, self-discovery through romantic heartbreak was a common theme — as evidenced by Emily King and Summer Walker's confessional projects (more on those later).

R&B-infused bangers from Tyla and Tems took the male-dominated Afrobeats genre by storm, while Chlöe and Halle Bailey's solo endeavors set the sisters apart creatively. Janelle Monáe's first album in five years saw her basking in the fierceness of sexual freedom. Part of R&B's new class, Kiana Ledé joined forces with London-born Ella Mai for a "strong R&B girl moment" and her first release of 2023, "Jealous," is set to appear on Ledé's upcoming sophomore album.

Women were the highlight of Babyface's collaborative Girls Night Out — which is nominated for Best R&B Album at the 2024 GRAMMYs alongside Coco Jones' What I Didn't Tell You (Deluxe), Victoria Monet's JAGUAR II, Emily King's Special Occasion, and Summer Walker's CLEAR 2: SOFT LIFE. Singers Ari Lennox, Kehlani, Muni Long, Queen Naija, and a host of other female R&B artists shined bright as they belted out tunes about the highs and lows of love.

But the year in R&B unequivocally belonged to SZA, who boasts the most nominations at the 2024 GRAMMYs, including Record of the Year, Song Of The Year, and Album Of The Ye ar. .

Women Made Vulnerability Their Superpower

The ladies of R&B took the confessional route with their 2023 projects. On Special Occasion, Emily King channeled the inevitable pain brought on by the end of her 15-year relationship but not without leaving room for joy — from the delightful opening track "This Year" to feeling regretful on "Bad Memory." Summer Walker similarly left it all on the table with CLEAR 2: SOFT LIFE, a nine-track EP that chronicles her frustration with feeling undervalued in relationships. The frankness of "Hardlife" speaks to the emotional burdens many Black women face in their relationships and beyond.

SZA's SOS (nominated for Album Of The Year alongside Jon Batiste's World Music Radio, boygenius' the record, Miley Cyrus' Endless Summer Vacation, Lana Del Rey's Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, Janelle Monáe's The Age Of Pleasure, Olivia Rodrigo's GUTS, and Taylor Swift's Midnights) was the gift that kept on giving in 2023. Self-described as "bizarre acts of self-embarrassment," SOS solidifies SZA as a generational talent as she fearlessly toys with folk ("Special") and grunge ("F2F") and spits rap verses ("Smoking on My Ex Pack") like it's nothing all while wearing her heart on her sleeve. That unapologetic candor is what makes SOS such a standout.

R&B Veterans Made A Comeback Nostalgia was front and center in 2023 as acts like New Edition announced a 2024 Las Vegas residency and Y2K-era duos like Ashanti and Nelly gave love (and touring) a second chance.

After two show-stopping runs In 2021 and 2022, Usher's acclaimed Las Vegas residency continued well into 2023 and solidified him as the "New King of Vegas." In between shows, the eight-time GRAMMY winner released "Good Good" featuring Summer Walker and 21 Savage — signaling a new and exciting era that also includes a headlining spot at the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show. The performance will coincide with a global tour and the release of Coming Home, marking Usher's first studio album in nearly a decade.

Babyface kicked off 2023 with "As a Matter of Fact," his first solo record in eight years. It spent five consecutive weeks atop Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart, becoming his longest-running single. In June, Babyface crammed four decades' worth of music into his NPR Tiny Desk Concert, which included snippets of his own hits like "Whip Appeal" and beloved songs he penned for other artists like Whitney Houston's "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" and Tevin Campbell's "Can We Talk." The latter song is sampled in his duet with Ella Mai, "Keeps On Fallin’.”

Meanwhile, vocal powerhouse Cheryl Lynn's 1983 hit "Encore" went viral on TikTok. Penned by the legendary duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the song's resurgence 40 years later even took Lynn by surprise. "What in the world is going on?" she tweeted.

The "Got to Be Real" singer now boasts over 500 million Spotify streams.

New Names Shined Bright

While icons like Usher, Babyface, and Cheryl Lynn took us down memory lane, Best New Artist nominees Coco Jones and Victoria Monét achieved critical and commercial success while proving that the future of R&B is in gifted hands.

Thousands of miles away in South Africa, 21-year-old Tyla's "Water" cracked the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first solo song by a South African artist to chart since Hugh Masekela's "Grazing in the Grass" 55 years ago. "Water" is nominated for Best African Music Performance at the 2024 GRAMMYs alongside ASAKE & Olamide's "Amapiano," Burna Boy's "City Boys," Davido's "UNAVAILABLE" featuring Musa Keys, and Ayra Starr's "Rush.”

Two weeks after inking a new deal with Epic Records, Mariah the Scientist kept the celebratory vibes going by dropping her third studio album, To Be Eaten Alive, on her 26th birthday. Lead single "From a Woman" not only answers boyfriend Young Thug's "From a Man," but it explores relationship-centric vulnerability and surrender through the lens of empowerment. "I close my eyes and trust your plan / Won't let no one force my hand," she sings softly against a smooth beat — illustrating that the studio is indeed a creative lab for the former biology student.

EPs Stole The Show Many emerging artists are choosing to release EPs over studio albums as a more costeffective way of establishing their fan base while creating anticipation for future fulllength projects. In fact, two of the five nominated works in this year's Best R&B Album category are categorized as EPs. After many years of putting out music independently, Coco Jones' debut EP, What I Didn't Tell You, repositioned the 25-year-old "Bel-Air star" as someone worth watching on the charts. "Sometimes people see me as the characters I play, but these stories are my own script," Jones shared in a press release. Becoming her first-ever entry on the Hot 100, Jones' "ICU" is nominated for Best R&B Song (alongside Halle Bailey's "Angel," Robert Glasper's "Back To Love" featuring SiR & Alex Isley, Victoria Monét's "On My Mama," and SZA's "Snooze"). The sizzling ballad is also up for Best R&B Performance (alongside Chris Brown's "Summer Too Hot," Glasper's "Back To Love, Victoria Monét's "How Does It Make You Feel," and SZA's "Kill Bill").

Following the success of Summer Walker's 2021 sophomore effort, Still Over It, many fans awaited another studio album from the 27-year-old mother of three. But in late spring, Walker surprised audiences by dropping an EP titled, CLEAR 2: SOFT LIFE. Walker is diaristic in detailing her journey toward joy and self-compassion, from being fed up in "Mind Yo Mouth" to holding herself accountable on closer "Agayu's Revelation."

Whether you prefer the old or new school, R&B's biggest names are putting their own spin on a decades-old sound, proving that the genre knows no bounds.

Grammy-winning star, Burna Boy bagged a total of four nominations for the 2024 event while Davido, Asake, Arya Starr and Olamide were nominated for the first time.

Sunday February 4, 2024

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Fitness Enthusiast, Model & World Traveler

Leve’ll Cole’s 5 Habits For A Healthy And Balanced Life In 2024

Model: Leve’ll Cole @levellcole Photo by: Harvey Jackson

Habit 1: Positive affirmations.

How we feel about ourselves starts within. Be your own hype man. First, make sure you know you alone, are enough.

Pay attention to how you speaking about yourself and on others.

Model: Leve’ll Cole Photo by: Harvey Jackson

A positive mind will be a clearer, more creative life.

2. Habit: Fitness Make sure you are taking the time to work on you.

At any age or fitness level we can all improve.

Model: Leve’ll Cole

Yes, we all want a better body, but working out also makes you mentally tough, too. When your mind and body are strong you can tackle any obstacle.

3. Try a new experience.

So many of us are caught up in the same routine.

Break that and start with something small. It could be that new restaurant you have been meaning to try, or new rock-climbing facility you’ve driven past.

Constantly push yourself to explore the unknown.

Model: Leve’ll Cole

Model: Leve’ll Cole Photographer: Steven Blank

4. Be fearless.

It's very important as a black man to know your worth and that you come from Royalty. Use the strength of those before us to channel your inner beast. Take educated risks. Speak your mind.

Look people in the eyes. Make your presence felt.

5. Health Eating Habits What we eat affects not only our physical appearance, but it can also play a vital role in how our body performs and how we feel about ourselves.

In 2024, be more aware of what you are putting in your temple.

Model: Leve’ll Cole

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'Stam ped From the Beginning' is a sharp look at the histor y of anti-Black racism

By Eric Deggans, npr.org

Ibram X. Kendi speaks during the Netflix film Stamped From the Beginning.

Netflix

The Netflix documentary Stamped from the Beginning kicks off with a provocative question from antiracism advocate, author and professor Ibram X. Kendi: What is wrong with Black people?

As a succession of Black academics express wonder and surprise at the question — rolling it over in their mouths while they think about it, like tasting a bitter pill — Stamped from the Beginning launches into an incisive, expansive look at the origin of racist ideas about Black people, covering themes Kendi first explored in his 2016 award-winning book Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America.

Chief among them: The idea that much of the systemic racism and prejudiced ideas aligned against Black people even now was deliberately created to justify their enslavement and exploitation.

The emergence of strategic racism In other words, Europeans didn't necessarily enslave Africans because they saw them as lesser beings. They spread stories about them being lesser beings to explain why it was acceptable to enslave them — purposefully utilizing prejudice to achieve material gain in a practice sometimes called strategic racism.

The film depicts Gomes Zurara's book featuring Prince Henry of Portual. Netflix

Early in the film, Kendi speaks about Prince Henry of Portugal – a leader from the 15th century also known as Prince Henry the Navigator – who he says turned to enslaving Africans over slavic people from Eastern Europe because it was harder for Black people to blend in and flee once they'd left Africa.

"Prince Henry didn't want to admit that he was violently and brutally enslaving African people to make money," Kendi says in the film. "So he dispatched a royal chronicler by the name of Gomes Zurara to write his story. Gomes Zurara justified his slave trading by stating that Prince Henry was doing it to save souls.

And that these people in Africa were inferior, were beastlike.”

As a film, Stamped from the Beginning, directed and produced by Oscar-winner Roger Ross Williams, is a primer packed with compelling visuals, including animation that weaves into images of historical photos. Several renowned Black female academics weigh in, including legendary activist and scholar Angela Davis; Kendi is an executive producer along with longtime TV producer Mara Brock Akil, creator of Girlfriends, The Game and Being Mary Jane.

Making history feel immediate for modern audiences The result is a chronicle covering hundreds of years of history, which feels as contemporary as an Instagram post. Kendi and his fellow academics dig into subjects such as: the invention of Blackness (lumping together Black people from

different areas in Africa as one race inferior to lighter skinned people; elevating working class white people to stifle any solidarity with Black people); the myth of assimilation (giving Black people the false idea that, if they just comport themselves in ways which make white people comfortable, they can achieve equality); and the myth of Black hypersexuality (justifying the rape of Black women and the lynching of Black men).

The roots of these damaging prejudices and myths, as discussed by the film, connect to other ideas Kendi has presented in his blockbuster 2019 book How to Be an Antiracist, which encourages seeing racism as a behavior, not necessarily a state of being. In Kendi's view, every person can make choices every day which affirm systemic racism and prejudice, or they can act to dismantle them through antiracism.

Kendi has joined the narrow ranks of nationally-known Black academics whose thoughts and theories about race in America have reached outside academia to touch general audiences – especially white people. His profile grew during the international reckoning over systemic racism kicked off in 2020 by the murder of George Floyd, leading to other spinoff products like a children's book called Antiracism Baby and a docuseries about racism in sports on ESPN+ called Skin in the Game.

He's also garnered some criticism, particularly after deciding earlier this year to lay off about half the staff at Boston University's Center for Antiracist Research, where he serves as founding director. But a recent audit released by the school declared there were no issues with how the center's finances were handled — news which pushes back a bit against efforts to tag Kendi as some sort of racial justice profiteer.

In the end, Netflix's Stamped from the Beginning offers a well-paced and affecting look at the roots of Black-focused racism that won't necessarily surprise those who already know this history, but may still be tough to watch for those sensitive to stories about the exploitation of marginalized people.

Eventually, at the end of the film, Kendi provides his own answer to the question which started the movie's journey: "The only thing wrong with Black people," he says, "is that we think something is wrong with Black people."

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YES, IT IS STILL ALL ABOUT THAT

BASS! Men are making sure in 2024 to add

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to their fitness routines.

Backsides have become a priority for guys—and not just for aesthetics, either. By Ben Court, menshealth.com

BLAME THE PANDEMIC. The slouch toward athleisure clothing all the time became a sprint during Covid—and it’s not slowing. “Guys now expect their work pants to fit and move the same way their gym clothes do,” says Ben Checketts, cofounder and creative director of Rhone. “Our Commuter pants take design cues from our athletic shorts that flatter, not flatten, the glutes, and we use four-way-stretch materials with no bunching, no diaper butt.” Last year, sales of Rhone’s slim Commuter pants jumped 55 percent, and the skinny version jumped 33. Other brands (think Lululemon, Bonobos, Birddogs, and, yes, Skims Mens) are also getting in on the glutes-hugging office-pants action.

While women have historically emphasized glute training more than men, that’s changing, says physique coach Gareth Sapstead, C.S.C.S. “More guys are looking to build the strength and size of their glutes now,” he says. Men are increasingly aware that strengthening their glutes can help them crush 5Ks and dominate pickup basketball. Glute strength does other things, too. “If you suffer from a cranky lower back, then one of the best things you can do is focus on strengthening your glutes through different exercises, patterns, and range of motion,” Sapstead says.

And of course, there are those aesthetic benefits. “Wanting to look great!” he adds. “You can hide a lack of abs, but you can’t hide if you have a pancake butt!” To beef up your butt, you need to target all three glute muscles (maximus, medius, and minimus), says Sapstead. You’ll do that with these moves.

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WELLNESS

Don’t Complain About a Crowded Gym in January Set a super-easy New Year’s resolution to not be that guy.

For some gym rats, the best winter tradition comes after Christmas and New Year’s Eve. It doesn’t really start until the decorations have been put away and all the holiday cheer is replaced with the ambient resolve that perhaps this year will be different. Because January is the month that some people derive a deep pleasure from complaining about newcomers at their gym.

The truth is that many people set healthrelated New Year’s resolutions involving your gym. Making a stink about an overcrowded gym in January is a lot like being surprised a last-minute December trip to Cancun was expensive. It's simply the way of the world.

Gym conflict seems to have become appealing fodder for content. This past year saw battles over weight-room interactions—some apparently staged—at the gym, as oglers were caught ogling, some non-oglers were accused of being creeps, and some fitness influencers with full light-and-camera rigs were derided by lifters who did not consent to a full-on photoshoot.(If you are going to complain about a busy gym, certainly don’t use other customers as props for an impotent social media rant.)

An interesting thought exercise, given the highly predictable inevitability of a busy gym in January, is what compels you to complain about it anyway. Maybe 2024 is the year you finally unpack that. Maybe you want to work in in the interesting fact that you work out yearround to close friends, coworkers, or strangers who follow you on the Internet.

But you don’t need an excuse. You can just say, “I go to the gym. The gym is important to me.

When my routine is disrupted, I get upset.”

This is much more transparent, and your loved ones will make you feel more seen than if you turn your passion for unattended squat racks into a hatred of your fellow man.

More seriously, newcomers to the gym are probably already self-conscious, and might even be thinking that you’re annoyed with them, even if you’re not. Making the gym a welcoming place, or at the least a neutral place, is a great way to start your year. If you want to be the weight room Scrooge—a disgruntled man who wishes to be left alone— December was the time to do it.

By Ashwin Rodrigues

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Kane Robinson, Jedaiah ‘The Kitchen’ Starring Bannerman, Hope Ikpoku Jr, Ian

Trailer Follows Class Clash in Dystopian London for

Daniel Kaluuya’s Directorial Debut

Wright, BackRoad Gee, Cristale, Teija Kabs and Demmy Ladipo, the sci-fi drama — which is also directed by Kibwe Tavares — drops on Netflix Jan. 19.

By Abbey White, hollywoodreporter.com

'The Kitchen' COURTESY OF NETFLIX

A war is coming to London as the gap between rich and poor is stretched to its limits in the trailer for Netflix‘s The Kitchen.

Co-directed by Daniel Kaluuya and Kibwe Tavares, the upcoming science fiction drama pits the underclass of a dystopian London against a brutal ruling class in a society where social housing has been eliminated. Instead, the working class make up the residents of “The Kitchen,” including British actor and rapper Kane Robinson’s Izi. “I’m getting out of this place,” Izi tells one man in the trailer, who responds, “It’s our home.”

With Jedaiah Bannerman’s Benji — the son he never knew — under his wing, Izi fights to escape a place plagued by violent repression as their community refuses to leave the place they call home. The twominute trailer mostly focuses in on painting the film’s universe through a series of action sequences that visualizes the brutality of London’s police state.

Serving as Kaluuya and Tavares’ feature directorial debuts, the award-winning Get Out and Judas and the Black Messiah star also co-wrote the film with Joe Murtagh and produced alongside Daniel Emmerson. The Kitchen also stars Hope Ikpoku Jr, Ian Wright, BackRoad Gee, Cristale, Teija Kabs and Demmy Ladipo.

After debuting at the 67th BFI London Film Festival in October, the film will drop on Netflix on Jan. 19.

Daniel Kaluuya after winning his first supporting actor Oscar in the film “Judas and the Black Messiah.”

New Year’s Resolutions: Building Good Mental Health Habits

Happy New Year! By now, the hustle and bustle and stress of the holiday season is behind us.

You have probably spent weeks shopping, gift-giving, and visiting with friends and family – mostly time spent focusing on everyone else. Now, with the New Year upon us, it is time to focus on you. As we think of New Year’s resolutions, we naturally reflect on how we can better ourselves and contemplate changes to make that happen.

For most, New Year’s resolutions typically focus on selfimprovement – whether it’s losing weight, exercising more, or learning a new skill or hobby.

These resolutions can fill us with excitement in anticipation of the possibilities of achieving goals or weigh us down with dread and apprehension of not living up to our expectations.

It’s tempting to want to make significant behavioral changes each January. It doesn’t help that society pushes us to do just that. Yet, resolutions are rarely kept beyond the second Friday of January—a day known appropriately as Quitter’s Day! Resolutions can fail for a myriad of reasons. It might be because people often start with the best of intentions but realize later that their expectations were unattainable. Sometimes our goals take too long to achieve. Or we take on changes we perceive as important because others are doing something similar, but in the end, it is not realistic for you.

Too often, we set goals for ourselves, and when we don’t meet them, we can have feelings of failure that can ultimately lower our self-esteem, which can trigger stress and anxiety and take a toll on our mental health.

Setting New Year’s resolutions can be a positive way to focus on self-improvement, but it's important to approach them in a manner that promotes good mental health and well-being and maximizes our chances of sticking with them.

There are strategies to prioritize our mental health during this time as we strive to achieve our resolution goals, but keep in mind that you know yourself better than anyone else. Your resolutions – if you even choose to make them – should be custom-tailored to you. Before deciding on your goals, ask yourself, “Does the very thought of making a New Year’s resolution excite you or overwhelm you? How can I make simple day-to-day changes that will help me achieve success? What are the little goals that will allow me to build momentum, so I’m headed in a positive direction?”

Taking it one day at a time forces us to be intentional and think about the “now” and not the long-term, which can be overwhelming. This approach can help us achieve our desired goals.

New Year’s resolutions are a tool for personal growth, but the most important thing to remember is to prioritize your mental health throughout the process. If a particular resolution is causing significant stress or negatively impacting your well-being, feel free to reevaluate and adjust your goals as needed. Taking care of your mental health is key to overall health.

Here are some tips for creating resolutions that prioritize your mental well-being: •

Pick a Goal that Motivates You: You are more likely to stick to your goal if it motivates you or if it is influenced by others, such as a spouse, a workout partner, or a medical professional. If your goal is to exercise more, but you know going to a gym is not a motivation for you, then pick another exercise you can do outside of the gym.

•

Break Down Your Big Goals into Smaller, More Manageable Goals: By doing this you’ll be much less likely to feel overwhelmed. If your ultimate goal is to run a 5K race, but you have not yet run a lap around the track, start with walking a shorter distance and gradually begin to jog once you feel you’re ready. It may just be a few yards or a lap around the track. Sometimes just signing up for that race is just the motivation you need to get started.

•

Focus on Progress, Not Perfection and Stay Positive: Emphasize the journey and strive for progress rather than aiming for perfection. And reward yourself for the progress you made. For instance, if your goal is to lose 10 pounds, but you only lost five pounds, acknowledge the five pounds you lost were five more than before you started trying to lose weight. The way we talk to ourselves can foster a positive and realistic outlook and contribute to a healthier approach to both mental health and success in meeting our New Year’s resolutions.

•

Lean on Others for Support and Motivation: Achieving goals can be easier when done with others. Consider joining groups or communities with similar goals to connect with people who can provide encouragement and accountability.

•

Practice Self-Compassion: Be easy on yourself. Acknowledge that setbacks will happen and that’s okay. Just pick back up where you left off.

•

Set a New Date: You do not need to commit to a resolution on January 1. Feel free to delay implementing your New Year’s resolutions until the time is right. You can make them at any time you want. Under stress now? Why not resolve to make that change beginning in March or by another preferred date.

•

Don’t Compare Yourself to Others: Don’t get too caught up in the New Year’s resolutions of others. Set goals with only you in mind.

•

Know When to Ask for Help: You are not alone. SAMHSA has behavioral health resources to help. Visit SAMHSA.gov.

No matter how big or small your New Year’s resolutions are for 2024, remember to show yourself some grace and forgiveness during the times when you may struggle as you work to reach your goals. Please take time over the course of this new year to engage in something meaningful to you, but more importantly, be kind to yourself. You deserve it.

By: Anita Everett, M.D. DFAPA, Director of the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS)

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5 Straightfor ward Ways To Go From Employed To Self-Employed

If you’re considering taking the leap from employment to selfemployment, you’ll feel a mix of excitement and uncertainly. Starting a new business from scratch is a scary prospect for many, holding various unknowns. A better way is to make a plan based on your current situation. Start where you are and use what you have, for a smoother, less daunting way of making the transition

Here are five straightforward ways of going from employed to self-employed.

Do your existing role as a freelancer One option is to do the role you currently do, for the same company, but on a freelance rather than employed basis. Perhaps you base the contract on a specific number of days per month or, even better, a specific set of outcomes.

What matters to your existing employer is not the number of hours you do, it’s the output or results you produce and the quality of your work. If you know your job takes you less than 40 hours per week, see if you can turn your employment into a contract instead. Not only will this free up your time to find other clients, it means you can make better use of your time and achieve more with less.

Cutting out the mundane aspects of employment can be efficient and more enjoyable. Saying no to team-wide meetings, performance reviews and appraisals and needing to clock in and out at a certain time might be the flexibility you’re looking for. This baby step could lead to giant leaps and new opportunities opening elsewhere. If you approach the conversation in the right way, your employer will understand the benefits of not having you as a member of staff.

Join freelance marketplaces Assuming you want to stick within your current field, you could join freelance marketplaces where you build a client base from inbound leads. People Per Hour, Fiverr, Upwork, 99Designs and many others allow you to list yourself and your skills and secure project-based or ongoing work.

Particularly effective for roles including designers and writers, this approach involves you backing yourself to win clients and putting the work in to create an impressive profile, complete with work examples and references. Once that’s done, it could be an abundant resource of future clients. Securing the first few will lead to reviews on the platform, attracting more people to make enquiries.

Whatever your skills, whatever your industry, there are companies and individuals looking for them. Put yourself out there to make sure they find you.

Set up your profiles without handing in your notice, then make the transition to self-employment as your workload dictates.

Work as an associate of other self-employed people Want to do the work but not the business development? Rather than focusing on finding clients for yourself, create relationships with people doing the same work who may have too much to handle. Busy service providers only have so many hours in each week, and they may be happy to pass you clients on a white label basis, or for a finder’s fee.

See collaborators, not competition. Someone doing exactly what you want to do could be your biggest source of income if you get in with them at the right time.

Don’t be afraid to ask the question; you never know where it might lead.

Seasoned self-employed professionals are often looking for ways they can make more money and impact without simply working more. Be confident that your proposal is a win-win situation and be exceptional in every interaction with them. They will be looking at you through the eyes of their clients, so be sure to impress.

Become a contractor for other companies As well as asking your current employer if you could contract for them, make a shortlist of similar companies you could also approach. Graphic designers, for example, could receive regular work from multiple agencies. Same with telesales professionals, business development, HR and legal experts.

Having a range of companies who know your style and pass you work will mean your weeks are varied and flexible. It gives you freedom over your time and freedom over which gigs you accept.

Start with small projects and build up. Enquire about overflow and see if you can lend a hand, then prove yourself and win bigger commissions. Trusted suppliers are worth their weight in gold, and being the favourite contractor of all your clients will mean the work keeps flowing.

Know your ideal client mix before you begin. One day a week for five separate clients or less regular work with more? Perhaps something in the middle?

Collect recommendation and keep meeting new companies until you have the ideal amount of work for your revenue and lifestyle goals.

Create a membership or retainer offering Could what you do take the form of a membership? Imagine a legal advisor starting a $99 club, where businesses can have ad hoc advice in return for a small monthly retainer. As well as taking their calls, you send out helpful summaries and pre-empt problems that may occur. How many clients could you serve and how much value could you have?

This business model could work well for multiple areas of work. Human resources, accountancy, graphic design, research and intelligence. Mind map your membership club and what members receive, then run it by some prospects and see what they think.

Set your revenue goals and work backwards from there, to ascertain the members required and the monthly fee. Aim to add 10x value so the cost to subscribers is a no brainer. Think about what you could throw in. Think about the benefits your clients will access, being part of your club. Ask your current employer and ask your existing clients. Having access to your wisdom on a regular basis might be exactly what they need.

Five ways to go from employment to self-employment without starting from scratch, so you can take the first step right now. If you’re still not sure, think about the worst-case scenario, and what you’d do should it come true. It’s very likely that, as long as you don’t burn any bridges, you could still go back, in which case there’s no reason not to try. Could one of these options be the one you’ve been looking for?

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Charleston, S.C. Is Getting a New Museum Spotlighting African American History

By Jonathan Thompson, Travel & Leisure

The long-awaited International African American Museum opened in Charleston this summer.

PHOTO: ELLIS CREEK PHOTOGRAPHY

One of the first things you notice as you enter Charleston's new International African American Museum (IAAM), is the "Wall of Departure." It's a list of names and ages, recorded from the captured and corralled before they were forced onto slave ships and across the Atlantic in chains. A few steps on, the "Wall of Arrival" tells a very different story: Americanized nicknames branded onto those lucky enough to survive the horrific crossing — "Big Sam," "Friday," "Bella." Their identities, along with their freedom, are now half a world away.

After 20 years of planning and more than $100 million in investment, the IAAM — one of the most anticipated museums in U.S. history — opened its doors to the public on June 27.

Charleston, one of the nation's most notorious slave ports, was already a bold choice for such a significant undertaking, but its exact site doubles down on that.

The sleek building rises above Gadsden's Wharf — the specific dock where more than 45% of all African slaves entered America. This, as the museum's CEO is keen to point out, is part of the city's bigger mission to tackle its past honestly and unflinchingly.

"Committed reckoning with history is a necessary stop on the road to healing and reconciliation," says Tonya Matthews, the museum's president. "Charleston is a port city, a global city, a historic city — and there's no better place for our museum to steward these stories that have such national and international significance and impact."

PHOTO: ELLIS CREEK PHOTOGRAPHY

The museum itself is a triumph: nine core galleries and special exhibition spaces over one enormous, sun-drenched floor, delving into everything from the origins of slavery to the continued fight for equality today. Along the way, interactive installations help visitors navigate topics like Reconstruction, the Great Migration, and the civil rights movement, thanks to state-of-the-art digital displays gifted by partners like Samsung and Google. (One of the most impactful is the "Memories of the Enslaved" exhibit — a room flooded with audible first-person accounts of slavery, recorded in the 1930s.)

PHOTO: ELLIS CREEK PHOTOGRAPHY

"I like to describe the museum as a space of courageous curiosity," says Matthews.

"There's so much history here, so many untold stories. That's what we're trying to delve into — to better understand not just where so many of us came from, but also where we're all going. Slavery is in the middle of the African American journey; it's not the beginning, and it's certainly not the end.”

To honor those African beginnings, the IAAM will also showcase artifacts from West African countries, including Senegal and Sierra Leone, to "push back against the door of no return" and illuminate the real lives of those torn from their families and cultures by the slave trade. (A powerful example is the cluster of African-style "stay-lay" memorial stones guarding the museum's entrance).

Framing the exhibits are deft design touches courtesy of visionary architect Henry Cobb, who sadly passed away in 2020, before seeing his final masterpiece finished.

Stone oceanfront windows, for example, slant toward Africa, while the museum itself appears to float above the former slave dock on 13-foot pillars, honoring the hallowed ground beneath them.

"It's incredible that we've been able to build this museum on the very wharf where so many people's ancestors came through and survived," says assistant curator Martina Morale. "Charleston is one of those great tourist places — with grand buildings, historic streets, and pretty beaches — but most of the time people don't realize that much of what they're looking at was built by enslaved hands. Asking the right questions is the key to opening those eyes, and that's what we're trying to do here.”

The room where most of those questions will be asked is the final stop on our museum tour: the Center for Family History. Here, a team of dedicated genealogists will help visitors trace their own family histories, under watchful portraits of powerful African Americans like Michelle Obama — a key supporter of the IAAM who can trace her own origins back to the shackles of Gadsden's Wharf.

"When you start digging into your genealogy, you never know what you're going to unearth; I have some ancestors who were enslaved, and others who held people in bondage," says Morale. "The deeper you dig, the deeper the connections you discover, linking all of us together.

"That's what we're hoping to do here: inspire people to keep researching and uncovering their ancestors' untold stories. Gadsden's Wharf isn't an endpoint anymore; now, it's a starting point.”

General admission tickets are on sale for June 28 and onward. IAAM will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. from Tuesdays through Sundays. For tickets or updates on the museum, visit iaamuseum.org.

PHOTO: ELLIS CREEK PHOTOGRAPHY

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Watch The Emotional First Trailer for the Bob Marley Biopic, 'One Love’ Kingsley Ben-Adir stars as the late reggae icon in the first look at Paramount's upcoming Bob Marley biopic, One Love.

By Michael Gonik

After a private screening earlier this year, the first trailer for the upcoming Bob Marley biopic, One Love, has officially landed.

The three-minute preview offers the first glimpse at Kingsley Ben-Adir's take on the late reggae icon in motion, as well as the rest of the cast, which features James Norton, Anthony Welsh, and Lashana Lynch as Rita Marley.

The film hones in on arguably the most tumultuous point of Marley's career, performing at the Smile Jamaica Concert despite surviving a politicallymotivated assassination attempt in 1976, leaving Kingston for London, recording two of his best-selling albums while in self-imposed exile in England, and later returning to Jamaica to organize and perform at the One Love Peace Concert in an effort to quell political tensions across the country.

One Love is executive produced by Marley's wife, Rita, along with their two children, Ziggy and Cedella.

The film is directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, who co-wrote the script with Zach Baylin. The duo previously worked together on the Oscar-nominated film, King Richard.

The trailer's arrival has been met with equal parts excitement and skepticism, mostly surrounding the casting of a non-Jamaican British actor in the titular role, especially when many of Marley's own kids are musicians with acting credits.

Watch the first trailer for the Bob Marley biopic below.

Kingsley Ben-Adir will play the role of Bob Marley

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Ghetto Gastro Partners With Target To Launch A Line Of Breakfast Food By Autumn Swiers It's no secret that food tells stories, and few cooks are such eloquent storytellers as the trio behind the Bronx-based Ghetto Gastro Collective. Per a press release sent to Tasting Table, Ghetto Gastro is teaming up with Target to release a line of breakfast foods. The new line hits Target shelves (specifically 1,900 Target stores and online everywhere) on July 30, arriving just in time for back-to-school season and the hectic weekday mornings that come with it. But these pancake and waffle mixes, syrups, and toaster pastries satisfy just as well for leisurely elevated brunches or late-night snack attacks. Foodies should keep their eyes peeled for the nine new flavor-forward food products with Bronx flair.

Ghetto Gastro's plant-based pancake and waffle mix retails for $6.99 and comes in a variety of flavors: original, sweet potato, and strawberry. The syrups ($9.99) come in different flavors as well — maple cider and spicy — and they're packed with potassium and zinc for a nutrient boost. The gourmet toaster pastries ($5.99) tote real fruit and reduced sugar compared to competing brands, and come in PB&J, maple apple cinnamon, chocolate raspberry, and strawberry flavors. (In other words, they're a less sugar-filled version of Pop-Tarts that parents can feel good about feeding their kiddos on the car ride to school.)

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Fueling bellies and conversations For non-New Yorker foodies, what exactly does "Bronx flair" look like? The borough is an unsung metropolis of the arts, the birthplace of hip-hop music, and the place where James Baldwin went to high school — all of which represent the kind of cultural dimensionality that Ghetto Gastro is all about. "With this partnership, we're bringing our unique flavors and experiences to a wider audience, breaking down barriers and celebrating the richness of our communities," explains co-founder and CEO Jon Gray, via the press release.

If you haven't heard of it before, Ghetto Gastro is an amalgamation of culinary and sociocultural genius via the minds of Jon Gray, Pierre Serrao, and Lester Walker.

They're the team behind the CRUXGG kitchen appliance collection (also available at Target) and the critically acclaimed cookbook "Black Power Kitchen," which has made big waves since its publication last October (and is now available for purchase in Target stores and online). But, that's only the beginning for this intrepid trio.

Per the company website, Ghetto Gastro defines itself as "a culinary collective that uses food as a platform to spark conversation about larger issues surrounding inclusion, race, access, and how food — and knowing how to cook — provides freedom and power." Now, Ghetto Gastro's innovative new line is coming to Target with an emphasis on empowering Black communities, celebrating heritage, and stoking cultural revolution with food as the tool to get the conversation rolling — even at the breakfast table

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