Do Black Lives TRULY Matter ?

Raise your hand if you currently have over thirty shows, movies, and documentaries lying dormant in your Netflix queue. Great! I am not alone in this quagmire! You can put your hands down now. (Unless said hand-raising is a part of your daily quarantine work out.) Face it, we all have spent hours perusing an endless selection of titles that serve as the gateway for unabashed escapism.

However, on one fateful day in May, I noticed something a bit different about my home screen. There was a paragraph plastered across my tablet. Amongst the sea of letters, one phrase floated to eye level: Black Lives Matter.

Before a sense of anything remotely associated with pride could develop, I felt astonished and then confused. Was this the same mantra that was often demonized now serving as a welcome mat to my favorite streaming service? (Sorry Disney Plus). Shortly after my discovery, I noticed CNN was highlighting protests from across the world all in defense of black lives.

Yes, that same castigated phrase had now become a rallying cry for the downtrodden across the globe. Soon, major corporations began to throw their hat in the socio-political arena by pledging millions of dollars to the once ostracized cause. Celebrities flooded twitter streams, sports organizations began to backpedal, and Sesame Street was preparing to air a special on racial injustice in the coming days.

For me though, it was all too much too soon. Why did black lives all of a sudden “matter”? One can easily point to the horrific murder of George Floyd as the catalyst for such fervor. But had we not seen black lives snuffed out on the world’s stage before? One can just point to Eric Garner back in 2014 who also pleaded for his life with the phrase “I can’t breathe.” Maybe it’s the fact that the COVID pandemic has eliminated many of the activities that may have distracted us in the past. Or were these signs of solidarity for more nefarious reasons such as exploitation, greed, and patronization?

Wherever your belief lies, one thing was for certain: Black Lives Now Matter! And they continued to matter as protests raged on, and jerseys were plastered with the names of those slain by the police. Zoom meetings were conducted, hashtags were created, and moments of silence were held. Golden Girls episodes were removed, master bedrooms were renamed, and voice actors were replaced by individuals of color. They even canceled COPS!!!

But despite all of these efforts, black lives are still being lost at the hands of the police, systemic racism remains interwoven in the fiber of this capitalistic society, and the leader of the free world refuses to denounce white

supremacy.

Perhaps the most debilitating blow to recent activism was the failure to effectively indict the officers who murdered Breyonna Taylor. In no way am I endorsing that we cease the fight against racial inequality and injustice. Quite the contrary. Now is the time, more than ever, to be resilient in our resolve. I’m just going to need more than a commemorative cup and Juneeteenth off to believe that black lives truly matter.

Photographer: Tim Schaeffer Photography @timschaefferphoto Makeup & Hair by Charlee Brown @museinspiredmua

Words By: Davana Jones

When it comes to acting, singing, or dancing many people would be proud to secure a career in any one of those departments. For GG Towson singing and dancing while acting have become her norm. Her capabilities in each one of these areas are what allowed her to embody the role of “Salt” on Lifetimes Salt-NPepa with such poise. Born in Los Angeles, California she began to discover what was within herself at an incredibly young age. She states, “I was just one of those children that wanted to entertain playing dress up, singing and dancing”.

Even though GG didn’t grow up in the midst of the Hollywood scene she was blessed to grow up sharing a strong connection with her grandfather Ronald Townson who was one of the original members of the musical group The Fifth Dimension. When she expressed to her family that she wanted to be an actor they were very supportive. Her grandfather introduced her to his first agent to help began her journey.

She landed a guest spot on Joan of Arcadia and also showcased her talent in a recurring role on Nickelodeon’s Zoey 101, alongside Jamie Lynn Spears. Townson was also seen as Stella in the hit Bounce TV sitcom In The Cut, opposite Dorien Wilson and John Marshall Jones. Stella is the daughter of the main character Smitty who falls in love with Kenny and endures their tragic breakup. Other memorable television appearances include Everybody Hates Chris, Cory in the House, Children’s Hospital, 30 Days 2 Life, and Like Family.

She was able to display some of the peaks and valleys of sisterhood relationships with her Co Star in the “Salt N Pepa Movie” Laila Odom. The two women knew each other prior to film therefore it was easy to connect during the filming. Although she was nervous to portray a real-life music icon, Townson was grateful to have Cheryl’s support during filming. Executing the scenes of the movie could have taken a physical toll on Townson if she was not into fitness. Fitness is something that she says her some of the women closest to her hold each other accountable with.

We can look forward to her being as a household name as she continues forward in her career GG will be bringing more amazing characters to life. She will be making more appearances on the CW’s hit TV show “All American” She has a movie coming up called “Welcome Matt” where she will appear alongside Tahj Mowry. She plans to accomplish much more. She says she would love to act in more comedic roles and names Vince Vaughn as one of her favorite comedians she would love to work with in the future. Whatever roles she takes on GG Townson will continue to captivate audiences with her talent, down to earth energy, and girl next door charisma.

Outside of acting, Townson is a passionate advocate for women’s empowerment. She is currently working to start an organization which aims to inspire and motivate young women with educational, artistic, and social-recreational experiences that nurture all aspects of their health. She makes sure she is vocal on topics surrounding women’s empowerment. She especially keeps younger women in mind. She acknowledges how important it is for them to have opportunities and outlets to express what it is they are truly feeling. She feels women should have more safe places to express themselves whole heartedly and she believes sisterhood is a vital part of that.

By Davana Jones

Take some time to think of our favorite movie. Think of your favorite character. Surely you can recall what you loved about that character. Something about them seemed to just naturally stand out. Think of their look. Think about their wardrobe. Lastly let your mind rest on their hair. Most of our favorite characters had great hair. Whether it was just got out of bed hair, or hair that blew perfectly in the wind. Behind that perfectly tapered cut, or those perfectly teased tresses. There is a cosmetologist who puts in hours and hours of work to create an essential part of the character you have grown to love. Beyond your favorite character.

Cosmetologist become invaluable in our personal lives. Over time they become some of the people who are most acquainted with us. We consider ourselves blessed when we find someone who is willing to take the reins on such a pivotal part of our self-care. We had the pleasure of speaking with Celebrity hairstylist and recently turned author Tracey Moss about some of her most memorable experiences on and off set. She shares that each character and each movie require something different.

It’s a fact that Tracey’s creative passion for cosmetology allowed her to encounter many celebrities. She’ has also worked on the set of “Bad Boys 3”, “The Hunger Games”, and “Black Panther” featuring the amazing Chadwick Boseman. Just recent wrapped up work on National Geographic’s “Genius: Aretha Franklin” starring Cynthia Ervio. She has created amazing looks for commercials, photoshoots, and guest star appearances.

SUAVV: How often do you get to incorporate your personal flair into the looks you create for television and film?

Tracey Moss: It depends on the film or the period of the show. They will give us an idea of the character, but they rarely have a specific request on how they want it, so I would say 60% of the time I can add my own flair to the style.

SUAVV: What was your experience working on the film “42”?

Tracey Moss: “42” was really fun because it was a period film. We definitely had to do our research to make sure we were in the right year and period. It was in like the 40’s. Any little thing can change to the hairstyle can change the period. Like if you are doing finger waves, doing them too big or too small can take you into the next period. So, it was really exciting doing the research and creating the looks for “42”.

SUAVV: How does it feel to add “Author” to the list of all you have accomplished? never knew I had. My mission was not to be an author. I just wanted to be someone who documented my life. A lot of the documentation of my life came from social media. I took a lot of pictures and created a lot of videos, but it was the memories of those moments that were created and shaped that I wanted to write about. It’s very important for me to share. There is so much that I can share with other hairstylists, and entrepreneurs. Things that they can use to create their career, so it was imperative for me to bring those moments together.

SUAVV: In your book “Styling by Faith” you spoke about betting on yourself, how important is it for a creative person to believe in themselves?

Tracey Moss: It is very important to believe in yourself. It is everything in my opinion because you can get the job, or get the opportunity, but you need to believe in yourself. This is not just with hairstylist or makeup artist. You have to believe in yourself in any profession. You can have the experience and the talent but sometimes you only get one opportunity. You may not have that opportunity to do whatever you do again. So, you can’t focus on trying to please everybody or mimic the way someone else does it. You have to have your own path and your own journey. So, it is very vital to believe in yourself. Have the confidence your way will be good, and you can do it.

However, she didn’t limit herself to only being in front of or behind the styling chair. She attended college and received a degree in business. She emphasizes that even though she’s having such an amazing time pursuing her passion she is so happy she went to college. She felt going to college gave her something that was timeless. She feels like no one can take that away from her. Going through her courses and finishing college gave her a different type of discipline.

Her latest accomplishment has been writing her book “Styling by Faith”. The book is basically a written documentary of how she was able to become and remain so successful throughout her career.

Celebrity Hairstylist, Author, daughter, and mother makes up who Tracey Moss is. She doesn’t fail to give some of the credit to the huge role her mother plays in her life. She highlights that her mother has been her number one fan. Having the love and support of her mother is how she is able to accomplish all that she does while caring for her 5-year-old little boy. As we continue to follow her journey, we are certain she will continue to wow audiences and readers through her work. She is a true inspiration to us all that whatever you face at the next level if you have faith you can accomplish great things.