Creativity still in full force, I am trudging forward on this Wednesday (looks for Friday with a flashlight *in my Future autotune voice).If you frequent the blog, then you know how much I over use the word inspire (you can never over use this word is what I say).I have big eyes , so they see a lot and it stimulates my creativity immediately. It could be the smallest detail , but trust me when I say I miss nothing. God clearly wanted me to be a blogger, why else would my eyes be so damn big? Today my look is inspired my fave French street style bloggers. They are the epitome of street chic, minimal, and funky. Thank you ladies for being beautiful black queens and slaying the cobblestone catwalk, I honor you! The first French blogger I ever followed was Lina.I saw her featured as Fashion Bombshell of the Day on my fave site Fashionbombdaily.I was wowed by her simplistic yet chic style sprinkled with glam and smothered in high fashion.Lina is also a master of mixing high and low and incorporates that into all of her looks.Also expect to see her gorgeous smile, bright darling eyes, and enviable cheekbones ( I told y'all, I miss nothing lol).Follow her on IG @linaose or if you parle Francias, suivre son blog Linaose! Mmmmm, trying to think of someone who wears black better than her....nope, no one!! SamyJo is the queen is mastering the chic 'all black' Parisian look.In addition to that, she is so much fun and is a certified hottie! You can catch her dancing it up while trying on the latest servings at H&M and Zara on the 'gram.She expertly mixes high and low and keeps her color palette neutral with a occasional burst of color.Follow the master minimalist on IG @Samyjovalentine This is Ellie, the queen of the sock/tights and sandals;micro bag aficianado and lover of all things super cool and fab.She is my style mate through and through.We have a love for the same places (Asos, H&M, Zara, and Shein) and it has to be funky or not at all.She is also a Caribbean girl like moi (I'm pretending to be French, ok?) and is stunning to say the least. My girl is a bad bish with killer calves! Basic does not fit anywhere in her equation.Prints, mixed with furs, sparkly footwear, and a mini bag for every occasion is her recipe (I haven't eaten yet today...I'm starving).Follow my Street Style maven on IG @slipintostyle I put a French twist on the t-shirt and jean combo.My t-shirt pretty much has a train on it *ques Bad and Bojuee.I know you are thinking 'why does she have shorts on top of pants?' It's called FASHION, hello?! Also they came like this. I'm obsessed! To add a bit of feminine chic (and to distract from me not wearing lotion), I layered some fishnet tights underneath and grabbed my man repelling kitten heels topped with a cutesy bow.Since 2017 is the year of extra, I wore opera-length gloves and my Guess ultra matte lippie from Colour Pop.Did I nail it or nah?(please don't say nah, it will break my heart yo) Shop my full look below So what's this '1898' all about? I'm glad you asked. It all started with me looking for a place to shoot this look. I was in downtown Wilmington (NC), I was getting a bit frustrated and the sun was going down.In the midst of fussing with my hubs (This is normal, fussing is my preferred method of communication. I'm Jamaican), I came across this structure I had glanced on a few occasions and decided to shoot there.Let's just say I am glad I was in all black. What I soon found out was that this is site of the 1898 memorial. The memorial is in remembrance of the lives lost during the 1898 race riot/massacre of Wilmington. Little known fact to many of the locals and fellow North Carolinians, before the riot the now predominately white "Port City" was home to more than a 2/3 black population. It was also the state's largest metropolis.Bustling with plethora of black owned businesses and even a significant middle class, the black community of Wilmington seemed to flourish. What led to the to riot was shift of politics as well as editorial by a local newspaper, Daily Record. November 10,1898 Alfred Waddell (white supremacist trash) led the riot mob (of 500 other white supremacist trash) that burned down the Daily Record. Hate filled the streets and so did the blood of my people. An estimation between 14 and 60 were slain that day, with many more not accounted for.With many blacks fearing for their lives, over 2,000 left behind their businesses and homes ;forced to try to put their lives together again elsewhere. Waddell later went on to become Mayor of Wilmington. All while the government took a blind eye and seemingly encouraged it.A platform of hate that won over the ideals of many and dehumanized many others...sounds so familiar. The past two years have been tumultuous the least to say when it comes to racial tension between minority citizens and the government and what is 'legal'. Let us not forget how is was once 'legal' to own a person. So how is it so many minorities are killed at much higher rates than the majority? It is not crime. It is the history of hate and supremacy that has been embedded in the thread of America. This country was built on the backs of my people and we were shunned and treated as second class citizens. It is the same hate that institutionally discriminates against black and other minority lenders and limits educational funding in heavily populated minority areas. The very same hate that begs for gun rights (for some) yet registered gun owner ,Philando Castille, sees no supports from the NRA and is dead at the hands of a over zealous officer. Over 100 years went by before The Massacre of 1898 was even recognized or known. I have lived in North Carolina my whole life and never heard of this event in school, but I knew about Hitler.This is America's ugly history. It is America's ugly present. However, the first step is acknowledgement. The additional reading plaque (not listed) also states that this is a monument to inclusion. I say include this massacre in our state history books and teach it. Acknowledge the hate that has tried to keep minorities under it's stronghold. Is that too much to ask? "Shutup girl, this is a fashion blog. This is too political!" Nah bih, this my platform and no matter how small I will bring awareness to what I see fit. I love fashion, but I am also black woman. I might not always love fashion, who knows. My blackness and womanhood,however, will remain. I can not ignore this. If this post can inspire and bring awareness to just one, then I have succeeded. Thank you for reading. If you want to find out more about the Wilmington Massacre of 1898 check out the documentary Wilmington on Fire.
Sources http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_events_riot.html http://www.blackpast.org/aah/wilmington-race-riot-1898 http://www.starnewsonline.com/news/20080711/1898-memorial-finally-takes-shape
10 Comments
Lalsma
1/24/2017 11:05:21 pm
A blog of substance, perfection!
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Mrs Kim
1/24/2017 11:48:30 pm
❤❤ 💯‼️ Awesome job!
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1/24/2017 11:53:49 pm
I Love it!!!💛💙💜💚❤ Thank you for a little piece of history I also knew nothing about... Kudos hun!!!☺😘😘😘
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Erica Jacobs
1/25/2017 08:33:16 am
Great job!!! Inspiring and informative.....
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1/25/2017 09:29:10 am
I absolutely loved this article Lanatria! You are such an inspiration to myself and many others and I can't wait to see how far you go. Your blogs always contain laughter, knowledge, and the obvious fashion to the 10. Killing it every time. Its very unfortunate, the systematic education we and many generations have been brought up in. There has to be change down h line. Thank you for sprinkling some light into my day🖤🖤🖤
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Brittney Taylor
1/25/2017 10:21:35 am
I absolutely love this blog and would love to feature it and an excerpt on the Black oxygen social media pages!!! I continue to be amazed by your talent and style my sister, keep it up!!
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HELEN
1/25/2017 10:46:15 am
AWESOME!!!!!!! YOU ARE BLESSED
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BernadetteABowen
1/25/2017 10:51:37 am
Simply Beautiful ----This Blog is Awesome..I love this Blog -- it is SOOO Wonderful !!!!!!!
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1/26/2017 12:07:00 am
Loved how you weaved your story with fashion out in front and the power of knowledge bringing up the rear. So satisfying!
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