text:
Where Crunk Meets Conscious and Feminism Meets Cool
The Crunk Feminist Collective
On Commenting
LIVE @ 9am "Images In the River: Black Girls Dialogue"
Good morning CFC community,
After our Feminism 101 for Girls report many asked for more information about the organization and implementation of the workshop. Well Tami Harris and Julia Stevens of the parenting blog Love Isn't Enough have arranged an online discussion with five panelists to discuss how to introduce feminism to black girls. The panelists include educators and activists: Mashadi Matabane, Bianca Laureano, Asha French, Sheri Davis-Faulkner, and Ruth Nicole Brown. Bios for the panelists are listed on the Love Isn't Enough website.
Join us for what promises to be a fantastic and necessary discussion. We look forward to "hearing" from you. If you have difficulties accessing the discussion from this site click here.
http://www.coveritlive.com/index2.php/option=com_altcaster/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=a47a755c8a/height=550/width=470
Tags: black girlhood celebration, black girls, Feminism 101, feminist education, LatiNegra
Author sheridf
On Appropriate Victims: More on Trayvon Martin and Other Names You Need to Know
Part of the reason folks rallied in reaction to Trayvon Martin's murder has to do with ideas about who is an appropriate or worthy victim. He was shot by a vigilante, he wasn't armed, he was a good student, had some class privilege, he was doing something mundane, simply returning from buying Skittles and ice tea. He was "innocent" and killed in cold blood.
We have an idea of who is deserving of support en masse and who is not. And for similar reasons we thought, with 911 tapes, eyewitness testimony, national outrage that it would result in a prosecution in the very least. If anything, the murder of Trayvon Martin shows us once again that there is no such thing as an "appropriate" Black victim.
Despite all evidence, Geraldo, Gingrich and others have found a way to make Trayvon the guilty party in his own fatal shooting. When brown and black men wear hoodies, they are asking for it. In a moment when it seems undeniable that race is a factor, people are still denying it! They even use victim blaming language.
Last week was International Anti-Street Harassment Week and I was struck with the similarities between the harassment that Black and Latino men experience by the police and the experiences of trans and cis women and gender non-conforming folks on the street. The language used by men of color to describe police harassment, is very similar to the language that those of us marginalized by our genders use to name our realities. Our clothing choices, our right to be where we are, when we want are all called into question.
Stopped, Frisked and Speaking Out from NYT The Local – Ft. Greene on Vimeo.
It seems that this time we can begin to talk across these incidents of violence and see the ways in which societal oppression is killing people. When you wear your hoodie for Trayvon, also think of:
Shaima Alawadi
Deoni Jones
CeCe McDonald
Because these victims were women, Iraqi, trans, they didn't pass the appropriate victim test. News media and popular opinion hasn't prompted folks to take to the streets in the same numbers for them. But people are making the connections. We can be more coordinated with our outrage. We can demand a justice that doesn't rely on the very system that didn't help Trayvon in the first place (will we really be satisfied with the prosecution of Zimmerman? Can't we ask for something else?). We can build solidarity to deal with the xenophobia, transmisogyny, and racism that target our communities in similar ways. In the wake of this tragedy we can start new collaborative initiatives that support survivors and families that are recovering after loss and move our collective response from reaction to revolution!
Tags: Cece McDonald, Deoni Jones, oppression, Rekia Boyd, Shaima Alawadi, transformative justice, Trayvon Martin
Categories Activism, In the News, LBGT*QIQTSAA, Race
Author moyazb
Images in the River-Black Girls Dialogue
Nina Simone's haunting ballad "Images" based on the poem by Waring Cuney tells a story about black girls we know all to well. Not knowing our beauty and not seeing our images; for many of my friends and family it has been a struggle for us to see ourselves as beautiful, worthy of love, and major contributors to the world around us. However, when we found Audre Lorde, Ella Baker, Angela Davis, Mary Church Terrell, Ida B. Wells, Darlene Clark Hine, Alice Walker, Faith Ringgold, Toni Morrison, Septima Clark, Fannie Lou Hamer, Barbara Smith, Shirley Chisholm, June Jordan, Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, Erykah Badu and so many more we saw our image in the river and we knew…
Currently black girls are under attack, on display, and undereducated. Cyberbullying on FB, actual bullying at school, constant surveillance by school security, heterosexism and homophobia all contribute further to the marginalization of black girls. There are no palm trees in the streets, but they have to deal with unwanted sexual attention in public, and sometimes private, as well as fat-hatred on billboards and tv commercials. They are not getting adequate general health education or sex education. Neither their public or private education tells them of the streams of powerful black women and girls in their lineage. As black feminists, womanists, Afrafeminists, women of color scholars and activists we cannot wait for them to come to us. We must seek them out and as we guide them to the river we must listen to what they have to say.
Last year the CFC learned the power of our community when we reached out for support with our Feminism 101 for Girls workshop and we received an outpouring of love. The workshop was a success and we provided a report back in good feminist form, but it was just the beginning. Since then bloggers Tami Harris and Julia Stevens from Love Isn't Enough contacted the CFC and workshop facilitators to participate on an online panel and we agreed.
Join us for a live panel discussion, Images in the River: Black Girl Dialogues, at 9 am ET, Saturday, March 31, featuring Sheri Davis-Faulkner, member of the CFC and American Studies PhD Candidate; Mashadi Matabane, Fem101 facilitator and PhD Candidate into transformative agency; Bianca Laureano, founder of the LatiNegr@s Project, who has worked with and taught youth of color and speaks at national and international organizations advocating sex-positive social justice agendas; and Asha French, member of CFC and Doctoral Student in English to discuss planning, funding and facilitating feminism 101 discussions for black girls. The conversation can be accessed on Love Isn't Enough, Crunk Feminist Collective, What Tami Said and Cover It Live.
This conversation is about sharing best practices and learning from one another. It is also a call to action so after the panel we encourage participants to schedule dialogues with black girls in your communities and report back. Specific details for joining the discussion are forthcoming. Tweet using the hashtag: #blackgirlsdialogue.
It's time we see our images in the river. It's time to talk about black girl problems. It's time to talk about black girl joy. It's time to talk.
Tags: activism, black girl joy, black girls, Feminism 101, popular education
The Love of Black Mothers and the Care of Black Children
In august of 2011, I had to call my mother – on a cell phone with not a lot of power left because I had been checking Facebook and texting friends, hoping to be released from a CT Scan clinic at Duke Hospital – to tell her that in less than two hours, I would be under anesthesia and that there was a chance (50 percent, I later discovered) I might not wake up. Things, for me, felt as quick as this opening sentence: no time to think about what was happening: just hazy, blurry, rapid movement. It was difficult for me to tell: the forceful speed with which a visit to student health for what I thought to be a painful pulled muscle (and no need to inform my mother of such frivolity) turned into no less than 13 doctors visiting me in the Operating Room prep area within the span of 30 minutes, all saying "we're surprised you're alive!," and hinting that had I waited another 24 hours to see about that pain – pain thought only to be the residue of a new Bikram yogi – I would likely have died. How to tell that to your mother on the phone when she is hours away in New Jersey; to receive a phone call from a nervous father not moments after speaking with said mother, attempting to explain to him that you don't even know what the doctors meant while he sat at work, trying not to sound baffled and tear up a bit; to try to explain the severity of the issue at hand without understanding. This was the context of my visit to Duke Hospital in late August 2011. And there was a hurricane in the New Jersey area that made travel impossible so though I had a hospital stay of six days, it was not until the day after I was released that my mother made the trek to North Carolina to attend to me, to take care of me, to cook and talk and help me walk. Still, mostly I remember how I felt moments before I was wheeled into the Operating Room: on the phone with my mother while a friend from church held my hand, me laid out on the bed: and as my mother prayed that God would protect me and my theological convictions shattered because of my agnosticism, I cried like I was a five year old: confused: dazed: hoping, above all, that that would not be the last time I'd hear her voice.
Though unemployed at the time, "even if I had been working, I would have taken off to be with you," is what my mother said, and what I knew to be true. She was with me for two and a half weeks and just having her here was of grave importance. The woman who changed my diapers and fed me in high chairs and with whom I made chocolate chip cookies while my older brother was at school when I was no more than three years old; the woman who potty trained me, who showed me how to tie my shoes – the blue Nikes with the yellow swoosh right before we walked to the Five and Dime store around the corner on South Orange Avenue – all this I remember about the interactions between a mother and her son. And all I could think about on that hospital bed not moments away from an incision and a very serious operation was, "I hope this is not the last time I talk to her." But many recent events are making me revisit the love of mothers, the love of black mothers, for children, for black children. And I keep thinking that I, at least, had the opportunity to call my mother and say something before the unexpected erupted in our lives. And for that, I am eternally grateful.
The capacity for black women to be mothers is radically under attack presently. Of course, this is nothing new: from antebellum legal declarations that the "status" of children would follow the "status" of mothers because those persons were the reproductive force of degraded station; to the report of one such Moynihan that ostensibly blamed black matriarchy for the failures of black social life without ever interrogating the normative modes of family that Negroes "failed" to produce; to recently, the incarceration practices of black mothers who have the purported nerve to "steal" public education from municipalities.
Though Kelley Williams-Bolar of Akron, Ohio, lived with her father part-time and, thus, was within the lines of the of Copley-Fairlawn school district, she was sentenced to ten days in prison, having stolen "quality" education for her daughters. The school district's stance was that the tax dollars needed to stay with "their" students. Of course, it did not matter that Williams-Bolar's father paid the very same taxes to the very same municipality. What mattered is that the person who stole education was not a primary resident of that municipality. The idea that Williams-Bolar, or anyone really, "stole" public education should give any of us pause because such claims, particularly when thought about as a theft of tax dollars in particular areas, do not take into account the economic structure that makes such declarations of theft possible. That is, ours is a political-economic system that necessitates inequitable distributions of wealth and, attendant to wealth, healthcare, educational and job opportunities. The desire to make out of Williams-Bolar an example is nothing other than a war against the poor who point out the fundamental injustices that persist in our political-economic system that makes a poor class out of the majority. For the Copley-Fairlawn school district to prosecute Williams-Bolar was nothing other than a claim that all persons are not worthy of equitable resources in educational practices but only those born, quite literally, in the right lines. Though pardoned, the very fact of the prosecution should tell us that something is fundamentally wrong with the way resources are hoarded by some and refused to others.
Unfortunately, Tanya McDowell has not been pardoned and has a mandatory prison sentence of five years with another five probation. Though homeless, with her most recent residence being Bridgeport, Connecticut, she enrolled her then five-year-old son in the Norwalk School District. She did not plead guilty, but rather entered a plea under the Alford Doctrine, refusing to admit guilt but conceding that the state had enough evidence to convict her [and when does the state not? especially when it can fabricate…but more on that soon]. We live in a world where the very concept, that someone could possibly "steal" education, is possible. This should force us to ask some serious questions about what is at stake in educational practice as it does not seem to be raising awareness, making people critical thinkers or the affirmation of the capacity to learn. When education can be "stolen" and one "convicted" of such action, it appears that education is nothing more than a commodity that participates in the inequities that many of us are committed to dismantling. This is especially preposterous for McDowell because the folks responsible for her conviction will not say that she "stole" from a fundamentally, foundationally inequitable institution. Robin Hood be praised; black women mothers be damned, so it seems. McDowell's purported theft only shows just how discriminatory the structure of education is.
Both McDowell and Williams-Bolar illustrate what is, quite literally, class-based targeting … no one in "good" (economically viable) school districts would be accused of such theft because, at base, they would not need to "steal" these goods in the first place. And sure, they'd argue that their taxes provide for such an occasion for educational opportunities but then obscure the fact that these possibilities for economic viability are made from the same inequitable political-economic structures that animate the educational and judicial system. The residents within the lines of the "good" school districts are there because of inequity, not in spite of it.
Hannah Arendt, though sympathetic to the Negro cause for justice in the 1950s, could never bring herself to the American south and "even avoided occasional trips to Southern states because they would have brought me into a situation that I personally would find unbearable."[1] This while she likewise stated that she could not understand how a Negro parent would allow the school to be a politicized space, how a Negro parent could send the girl in the photograph – Elizabeth Eckford – into conditions of such violence and violation. In another version of the same "reflections" about Little Rock, Arendt stated, "My first question was, what would I do if I were a Negro mother? The answer: under no circumstances would I expose my child to conditions which made it appear as though it wanted to push its way into a group where it was not wanted."[2] When Mamie Till had an open casket funeral for her son Emmett and had the photographs published in the Chicago Defender and elsewhere because she wanted the world to see what had happened to her son, the response from some was 'what kind of mother would do such a thing?'
In the cases of both Williams-Bolar and McDowell – and with the persistence of such queries; and with the excessiveness of punitive response to their maneuvers and choreographies rooted in a love for their children – at issue is the question: what kind of mother would do such things? Arendt, the critique of Mamie Till, Moynihan's "report" all show that the Negro/Black/African American Mother is a general problem for theological-philosophical thought: just how do they do the thing that they do; just how do they show care, show love, give joy, give hope, in the midst of perpetual violence and violation? From what resource do these persons draw in order to move forward, and move ever forward, faces like flint, in joy, in love, given the brutal conditions under which these persons are forced to live? Williams-Bolar and McDowell are philosophers and theologians of black maternity and we do well to listen to their resistance to the given world. But not every black mother is so lucky to have an end-date to her suffering.
"Let's face it. I am a marked woman, but not everybody knows my name."[3] Thus begins Hortense Spillers's fascinating "Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe: An American Grammar Book," focusing on the very specific, very particular material conditions of black people since historic passages through mediums and middles on bateaus, ketches and skiffs, named with conventions such as Jesus, or the Nina, Pinta, and the Santa Maria. Spillers prophesied the telling of Trayvon Martin's murder to his parents: an unmarked, unnamed body, Trayvon's father, Tracey Martin, "thought that he was missing, according to the family's lawyer, Benjamin Crump, but the boy's body had actually been taken to the medical examiner's office and listed as a John Doe" for a day.[4] Spillers's being marked converges here with Trayvon's being discovered, the normativity of the conflating of blackness and anonymity, enunciated and rehearsed by some people not knowing a name, by some people not giving a damn. It is important to note – as a sign of irrepressible, irresistible life – that Spillers says "not everybody" because if she is unknown, and if Trayvon is John Doe, this is limited and not absolute, no matter how pessimistic we may appear to become.
Being marked, being discovered. What we have here is an ontological set of concerns. What when your marking is the point of your discovering; what when the thing that you constantly manifest is the thing that constantly must be found elsewhere? The manifestation of Trayvon's being marked by George Zimmerman occurred through the refusal to be earnest. Rather, Trayvon appeared as "a real suspicion guy," Zimmerman's was a gaze attesting the idea that Trayvon was "up to no good" and that he seemed to be "on drugs or something." Though raining and night time, in Zimmerman's mind donning a hood was nothing more than an accouterment to such criminal behavior, grounded in the fact of Trayvon's presence: "he looks black." Literally walking down the street looking around, basic behavior in which many of us participate daily, was criminally suspect to Zimmerman, enough so that he called 911, registered a complaint, trailed Trayvon in a car, got out the car, confronted Trayvon, scuffle ensued, ending in two shots: one in the air, one in Trayvon's chest.
There appears to be a conspiratorial nature to the Sanford Police Department's engagement with this particular case. No longer, even no longer primarily, is this operative at the level of the individual and interpersonal, and thus, Zimmerman's claim for "self-defense." The institutional practices of justice are being obscured and obstructed from even an initial movement into the search for justice. The PD at best appears to be misinformed, at worst lying, about what occurred, when it occurred, who said what, and how they said it. The PD is covering up the fact of Zimmerman's past in favor of saying that he had a "squeaky clean record." The PD is not even willing to arrest because they feel they have no "grounds" upon which to act, though their inaction is justified only by their refusal to be earnest, to be truthful.
It seems that the Sanford PD thinks that "self-defense" is only possible as a reasonable response when the force of such purported "defense" exceeds that of the one against whom such force is supposedly necessary. That Trayvon could not ask "what's the problem?" to a dude who was slowly trailing him in a car did not register as a desire to guard his own personhood. It is only the continual elevation of force, turned fatal, that gave Zimmerman license to claim he was merely, only acting in "defense" of his "self" (not a little problematic category in the general, given the necessarily violent and violative history of such a concept in the west. Certain folks, through privilege, can claim such status, it seems and a black boy threatened such "selfhood"). Zimmerman's theological-philosophical understanding of "self" is the problem and we find this out based on his discovery of a marked, suspicious boy. What Zimmerman guarded, what he fundamentally defended, was his "right" to make a claim, here in this case, that someone was "suspicious" and his "right" to protection against the very appearance of that which bodied forth his claim. He was guarding against a general antagonism – a black boy walking home, not unlike Elizabeth walking to a Little Rock school, not unlike Emmett whistling.
How does one tell and tell a mother, a black mother, that a son, a black son, was murdered for suspiciously having Skittles and an Arizona Iced Tea? Sybrina Fulton – Trayvon's mother – knew Trayvon's name. And each time, each and every time, I watch an interview of her, I am moved by her being moved, and angry by her being angry, and upset by her being upset, and confused by her being confused. Zimmerman, as of this writing, has not been arrested yet nor charged with any wrongdoing because he claimed self-defense. Fulton has appeared in several news conferences and interviews simply asking for justice to be done…for her son. The anger and rage, the sadness and melancholy of Fulton [and, but of course, Tracey Martin as well] must unfortunately be bottled up, be channeled into niceties, sitting in seats answering erroneous questions about Trayvon and if he enjoyed eating chicken.
But most poignantly, and most upsetting, is the way Trayvon's voice will be, no doubt, etched in his mother's mind: the release of a 911 call clearly has the cries, the pleas, the wailings from a young black boy for help seconds before the chilling sounding out of two gunshots. And then, silence. The cry for help, the plea for aid, the wailing for release is fundamentally on the edge between the particular and the general: it is his particular lament but rehearses and improvises a long history of such lament. Trayvon's voice echoes and is echo; it reverberates and is a moment of previous reverberation. It is this haunting, chilling and quite simply, heartbreaking sound that his mother knows is the last sound he made. His shriek shares in, and gives, eternal force. But I understand something of his crying out in despair: hoping his mother would hear him, feel him, love him…still, even under such unequivocally horrendous conditions.
I want for Fulton what I want for Williams-Bolar and McDowell: justice. I want for these mothers, these black mothers, what I want for the world: an end to suffering that we cause by the inequities we set into motion and refuse to interrogate. Trayvon's murder is part and parcel of a political-economic system predicated upon lack rather than abundance, hoarding rather than sharing.
Tarrying. Having grown up in the Black Pentecostal sect of Christianity, I learned early on what it meant to tarry: to wait on the indwelling, the infilling, of the individual with the Holy Spirit, announced by the "initial evidence" of glossolalia, of speaking in tongues "as the Spirit gives utterance." What so fascinates me about tarrying is that it literally means, "wait" but in that waiting, a sociality is both fashioned and in process of being fashioned, is both made and being made. The sounds of wailing and moaning, of "Jesus" and "have your way!" and of hand claps and foots stomps and tambourine jingles jiggling: cacophonous transcendence that is not always and everywhere loud but is dynamic, dramatic changes in volume and breath allow for the inhabitation of the Spirit. And then, one person breaks out, speaking in tongues. Then another. And maybe, and perhaps, another. And at the end of such tarrying is praise for those who "came through."
I end by a brief discussion of tarrying because of a fundamental concern that Williams-Bolar, McDowell and Fulton presence for us: how long must we wait for justice to be done in the world, for justice to "come through"? They are but specific examples of an ongoing, general trend for certain lives to be treated as tenuous. But from our position, the position of the underground and submerged, the position of the marginalized, we know of our lives differently. The sorta political-economic world in which we exist needs for joy and love to be a limited resource rather than a radical commitment to allowing others to live, and thrive in that living. But this other position, we know of the joy of inhabitation, of the new song. We know it because we experience it daily but there are massive and strident attempts to make such abundant life unavailable. But we make this abundance life, not because of the brutal conditions of the world, but in spite of those conditions.
People would get frustrated and not a little angry if they tarried all night long and still not have an experience of glossolalia; it seemed – because of theological conviction – the Holy Spirit was refusing to indwell a particular believer. To have some folks speak of the joy and pleasure of the experience while others – pining and climbing and reaching for such ecstasy – have it refused is not a little bit disheartening. That same frustration and anger I carry against the radical assault on women in politics today, from reproductive health rights to incarceration for the theft of public educational goods asking: How long? How long must we wait? And though we create beautiful, radical sound and sociality in such waiting – as with the tarrying YouTube clip above – we still want for such waiting to break forth and burst free into the "coming through" from it all. Williams-Bolar had to fight to have her sentencing reduced from felony to misdemeanor. McDowell will be separated from her young son for five years. Fulton? Fulton does not know if justice will be served…she knows that her son has been murdered. At least I got to call my mother and hear her pray over and for me as I laid on the hospital bed. I want that for everyone.
[1] Hannah Arendt and P. R. (Peter R. ) Baehr, The Portable Hannah Arendt (New York: Penguin Books,, 2000), 232.
[2] Hannah Arendt and Jerome Kohn, Responsibility and Judgment, 1st ed. (New York: Schocken Books,, 2003), 193.
[3] Hortense J. Spillers, "Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe: An American Grammar Book," in Black, White, and in Color : Essays on American Literature and Culture (Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2003., n.d.), 203.
[4] Charles M. Blow, "The Curious Case of Trayvon Martin," The New York Times, March 16, 2012, sec. Opinion, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/17/opinion/blow-the-curious-case-of-trayvon-martin.html.
Author ashoncrawley
Re-Nigging on the Promises: #Justice4Trayvon
Another Black kid is dead.
This time it's 17 year old Trayvon Martin.
His life snuffed out at the hands of an overzealous, trigger happy white neighborhood watch commander named George Zimmerman, who thought Trayvon looked "suspicious" as he walked back to his father's home in a suburban Florida neighborhood with a pack of skittles and an iced tea for his little brother. Trayvon was unarmed; Zimmerman was packing a semiautomatic weapon.
How do we make sense of the senseless?
From the facts alone, it is clear that Zimmerman presented the real threat. But it has now been two and a half weeks since the shooting, and Sanford Police Department has declined to charge Zimmerman with a crime. Law enforcement officials claim they have no evidence to dispute Zimmerman's claim that he acted in self-defense.
Apparently an unarmed, dead Black teen is not evidence enough. If this were 1912 and not 2012, we would call a Black man killed by a one-man firing squad with no just cause what it is: a lynching. These days, we search for euphemisms.
Self-defense. That feels so inadequate.
I mean, whose selves really need defending if it is Black selves—primarily Black male selves—that keep being murdered?
It's high time that we started asking some serious questions about how we keep ending up here. Because there is most assuredly a racial logic—an alarming method – to this madness.
So come, let us reason, together. (Yeah, I got Biblical, because in times like these we need a savior. Take that as literally or as figuratively as you will.)
In one of the earliest reports I read about this murder, the author felt it important to mention that Trayvon was visiting his father because he had been suspended from school for a week. It infuriated me that this detail was there. It was a subtle way to suggest that this kid didn't have his head on straight, that he had some flaw, that he had already demonstrated himself to be a disciplinary problem.
How does it feel to be a problem? It feels like gunshots, unheard screams, and a lonely, violent death.
It is now statistically documented that Black students are suspended 46% more than all other students, and account for 39% of expulsions, though they only make up 18% of the school system. One in five Black boys is subjected to out-of-school suspension. The increase in zero-tolerance policies and automatic referrals to law enforcement are major culprits here. It is beginning to sound like schools have a zero-tolerance for students of color in general, and an aversion to Black boys in particular.
A story.
Years ago, I taught reading to a group of middle-schoolers in D.C. public schools. That year four of my male students –all African-American—were expelled. Three of them were expelled not for selling drugs on the campus, but for failing to report that they knew one of their classmates was doing so. As the Head of School told me, "we have an honor code and a zero-tolerance policy." Nearly ten years later, I find that decision the most dishonorable of decisions I encountered at that school, which was a fairly dishonorable experience for me. What my boss didn't seem (willing) to understand is that these students –while boarding students during the week—returned home on weekends, to the very communities where the dealers supplying the drugs to their classmate lived. To ask these students to put their lives and their families' lives in danger in order to honor our honor code was an exercise in missing the point. So the kids were expelled.
I learned a lot then about how the cultures of discipline in public schools fail to honor the very real material realities that shape how kids engage in school. When scholars talk about a school-to-prison pipeline, they are not simply talking about the ways that systematic lack of educational access sets up Black people for a stint in the criminal justice system. They are also pointing to the fact that the very logic of public schools is designed to discipline Americans into a certain model of citizenship, one that helps us to believe in the propaganda of equal rights that we are taught in our social studies classes, while obscuring the systematic inequalities that are on gratuitious display through the treatment of children of color, students with disabilities, and poor students.
I can't help but wonder if it is this kind of discipline to which Trayvon had been subjected. School discipline should not be the pathway to a prison sentence or a death sentence.
A Black kid is dead. And blame must be placed somewhere.
I have zero-tolerance for a justice system that deputizes overzealous white men and vests them with the power to be judge, jury, and executioner, under the trumped up guise of self-defense . If this community fails to prosecute George Zimmerman, their silence, their acquiescence, their approval will constitute an official sanctioning of his course of action.
I can't help but wonder what he must have thought as he was confronted for no reason by a white guy with a gun, while he was simply trying to go home.
Eyewitnesses said they heard Trayvon call for help. The police swiftly corrected them, letting them know that in fact, it was the white guy who had called for help. Even with eyewitness testimony, the police seemed incapable of seeing Trayvon as the victim. Young Black men are always the aggressors, right? Not the gun-toting white guy, who weighed 100 pounds more than Trayvon. Not the self-styled neighborhood vigilante with a documented disrespect for law enforcement. Nope. Just the Black kid, whose skin is (perceived as) a weapon.
Though Zimmerman had been charged in the past with battery on a police officer and resisting arrest, officers told Trayvon's parents that Zimmerman's record was squeaky clean.
What is this peculiar thing about whiteness that it makes criminals look like victims and victims look like criminals?
Trayvon's skin, not his actions, not his character, made him a criminal. Blackness always looks suspicious. Whiteness always looks safe.
A history lesson.
In 1857, Justice Roger Taney infamously declared in the Dred Scott case that "a Black man had no rights that a white man was bound to respect."
In this post- most-racial moment*, we must seriously re-evaluate this narrative of linear historical progress that we are beholden to. No, Black men don't routinely find themselves hanging from trees. But that might be less an evidence of progress and more an evidence of white racial adaptation.
"Racial patterns [will always] adapt in ways that maintain white dominance." – Father of Critical Race Theory Prof. Derrick Bell's famous maxim echoes in my ears.
(No wonder folks were mad last week to see the re-circulated video of Harvard Law Student Barack Obama hugging his professor Derrick Bell. As Melissa Harris- Perry said, two brothers hugging one another is an unforgivable offense.)
Perhaps a hip-hop metaphor is more appropriate. Present white racial violence frequently samples its own racial past, but packages the narrative in ways that make us think we are making progress, that we are doing a new thing. But this shit ain't original.
Take for example this 2012 campaign bumper sticker.
The challenge in getting stuck on this show of ignorance is that most racism isn't that visible. And because it isn't, white folks (like the many I saw comment on this photograph on facebook) can tell themselves that this is isolated racial ignorance.
They don't have to contend with the ways that our legal justice system continues to renege on its promises of equality and justice for all, through the enactment of supposedly color-blind policies like stricter voter registration laws that are designed to exclude folk of color from voting, through campaign suggestions that racialize the welfare system, and through sentencing disparities that criminalize Black and Brown folks for life. White folks can see this bumper sticker and never think about the ways in which every one of these deadly racial encounters (which seem to be a not infrequent occurrence in Sanford, Fl.) constitutes a "Re-Nig(gerizing)" of the Black male body.
Trayvon Martin "looked suspicious," Zimmerman told the 911 Dispatcher. In fact, to say "suspicious" and "Black man" in the same sentence, feels redundant.
Black=suspicious=threat
White=safe=protection/protector
All these (short but long) years later, the racial logic remains the same. Black men are threatening. And murder is a proper response to that threat or a least an understandable one. Ida B. Wells could've told us that. And she did. But that soundtrack has been remixed to accompany us into a new era.
How does it feel to be white?
Whiteness, Critical Race Theorist Cheryl Harris tells us, is a "form of property." In the classical sense, whiteness, like property, confers "all those human rights, liberties, powers, and immunities that are important for human well-being including freedom of expression, freedom of conscience, freedom from bodily harm, and free and equal opportunities to use personal faculties." (CRT Reader: 279-280)
Does it feel like freedom? Whiteness.
Well it certainly looks like justice.
The kind of justice that we want for Trayvon.
But there is one problem. Trayvon is Black. And that matters when whiteness is the sine qua non of the American legal system, when possession of a white skin is the prerequisite for justice.
And it is precisely because of this deep-seated association of white skin with property, that George Zimmerman felt he had the right to "patrol" his neighborhood for interlopers and outsiders.
It is not coincidental that Black men are routinely profiled for looking suspicious in nice neighborhoods "because they don't belong there." The battle over who belongs in neighborhoods– even though Trayvon's step-mother lived there!—is just a modern site for a long-standing warfare over white racial entitlement to control land and every thing that moves on that land.
So despite our cries of #justice4Trayvon, we know that it is a toss-up as to whether Zimmerman will be charged with anything, that it takes a literal act of God for the system to work for us. That God is all we have, when the system works against us.
We keep hoping that reason will take over, that the facts will be presented in just such a way that the crime committed here will become visible, evident, to the powers that be. Somehow, I don't believe that this is what President Obama meant by "the audacity of hope." And if he did, I hope he realizes that hope in the face of mounting injustice is an unreasonable thing to ask of us. We are the post-post Civil Rights Generation, the Hip Hop Generation. And we are tired of hope and dreams deferred.
If the persistence of racism has taught us anything, it is this : that racism is not rational. It literally doesn't make any sense. Yet, we keep appealing to reason, even though we feel like taking it to the streets, because we know that such acts of violence, would be perceived as irrational. Threatening. And met with all consequent force.
Yet we keep appealing to reason, in hopes that someone will listen.
As we appeal to the system, signing petitions calling for the prosecution of George Zimmerman, we hope against hope, that the system will not decide that Blackness alone makes one a probable threat, worthy of execution, just a few hundred feet from one's home. And yet, that decision has been made thousands of times. Will Trayvon be any different?
"You think our lives are cheap, and easy to be wasted, as history repeats, so foul you can taste it…His life so incomplete, and nothing can replace it"–Lauryn Hill
*Thanks to Rhea C. for the "most-racial" reference.
Author crunktastic
The (Public Service) Announcement: Black Women & HIV
March 10 was National Women and Girls HIV Awareness Day, a nationwide observance that is used to help raise awareness about the peculiar impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls. One of the goals of the day is to help facilitate discussions and disseminate information about prevention, testing, and/or living with and coping with the disease. On March 11, I watched the ESPN documentary The Announcement, which traces Earvin "Magic" Johnson's discovery that he had contracted HIV in 1991 and the subsequent narrative around it, including his emergence as a spokesperson against the disease.
Needless to say, this weekend I felt hyperaware and re-reminded of the impact of HIV/AIDS on women's lives, particularly black women's lives. Cookie Johnson, Magic's wife, emerged as a heroine in the documentary, never wavering in her commitment to her husband and staying committed to him even after his announcement. Cookie was HIV-negative, but she represents thousands of women who are unknowingly exposed to the virus and hence at risk. A recent study states HIV is five times more prevalent among black women than previously thought. Black women currently make up 60 percent of new infections and 13 percent of the total AIDS epidemic. Heterosexual black women have the second highest rate of new infections and contract the disease at 15 times the rate of white women. These statistics are consistent with conversations I have (over)heard and had over the past few years, but I cannot help but wonder why this is such an un(der)discussed and underpublicized phenomenon. Why are the numbers getting larger instead of smaller?
Amidst a firestorm of political and social debates and cultural conundrums about women's bodies, choices, sexuality and needs, it is important that we talk to (as) black women about this issue. We need to talk to our family, friends, daughters, protégés, ourselves, about the risks and why we are taking them. I never imagined that twenty years after Magic Johnson's announcement, which for the first time gave HIV a public and black face, and despite our national and historical awareness of how the disease is spread: having sex without a condom; sharing needles, syringes or drug works; and pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding, that HIV is still spreading at such an alarming rate. I personally suspect it is a combination of immortality complex (the belief some people have that they are immune to the consequences that other people suffer for bad choices) and misinformation about HIV/AIDS (i.e., that you can tell if someone has HIV by looking at them, or that as long as you are not having sex with someone who uses drugs or is promiscuous, you are safe).
For many women, it is bigger than the virus. There are social and environmental issues that contribute to the epidemic. When folk are living in communities and under circumstances that constantly find them in desperate situations and disparate conditions, HIV infection is just another of countless dangers they encounter on a daily basis that puts their lives at risk. For example, the CDC recognizes challenges such as socioeconomic issues like poverty, limited access to health care and housing, limited access to HIV prevention education, lack of awareness of HIV status, and stigma, fear, discrimination, homophobia and other negative perceptions about being tested as deterrents to prevention.
According to a recent study, black women in six urban areas have some of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS: Baltimore, Atlanta, Raleigh-Durham, NC, Washington, D.C., Newark and New York City. Further, according to the CDC, "The greater number of people living with HIV in African American communities and the fact that African Americans tend to have sex with partners of the same race/ethnicity means that they face a greater risk of HIV infection with each new sexual encounter."
And let's not dismiss the very vulnerability for intimacy and connection that oftentimes causes young women to make reckless choices about sex. When teaching a class in central Florida and discussing strategies for encouraging safe sex a student, who worked at a health clinic part time, noted that young women would come in and be treated for STI's. She said that even though the staff would give them tempered warnings and free condoms those same young women would come back, weeks or months later, with another STI. When confronted about the risk of unprotected sex they responded "my boyfriend doesn't like them," or "he says we don't need them (because we are in love)." These girls were as young as fifteen and had already exposed themselves to the possibility of contracting a lifelong disease. According the the CDC, 1 in 32 black women will be diagnosed with HIV infection in their lifetime. 87% of them will have gotten the infection by having unprotected sex with a man. While HIV is no longer a death sentence, there is no cure.
In many ways we have heard/seen the public service announcements, we know the warnings and the risks, yet we continue to make problematic choices. Perhaps this generation has become desensitized to the risks associated with unprotected sex. Protected sex is not only about preventing pregnancy. It is about preventing STI's, one of which is HIV. One study states that sometimes women who use hormonal birth control are more likely to contract the disease because while they are careful about protecting themselves from pregnancy, they are not always equally mindful of sexually transmitted infections.
A new campaign, Take Charge Take the Test hopes to raise awareness and urge black women to get tested and know their status.
At the end of the documentary, Magic Johnson says that his contraction of the virus has been both a blessing a curse. A blessing, he says, because it has helped to raise awareness about the disease. A curse because his wellness seems to be attached with a nonchalance, rather than fear, about the seriousness of HIV. While there have been amazing medical interventions that make living longer and healthier lives (with medication) possible, there are other factors that must be considered. One of which, as Magic explains, is that the disease affects different people differently. Not everyone will respond to treatments in the same way that he has. And not everyone can afford the (expensive) treatment.
A few lessons settled with me as I pushed my chair back from the articles, turned off the tv, and felt the full weight of the words, the announcements. The lessons felt clear and intentional, like the script of an afterschool special. I am left writing out what I want to say to every black woman I know (and will ever meet)…
Love yourself more than anyone else.
Sex should always be protected (unless you are in a committed and monogamous relationship and you have both tested negative!)
Conversations about sex and past sexual partners and status should be foreplay to the foreplay. If you don't feel comfortable enough to have this conversation with your sexual partner, perhaps you shouldn't be having sex with them.
Use condoms even if you are on other methods of contraception for birth control.
Talk to other women about knowing their status and encourage them to get tested. (Volunteer to go with them when they go!)
Initiate a conversation! Don't assume people (especially young people) know what they need to know about HIV.
Tags: birth control, health, HIV/AIDS, Take Charge Take The Test, The Announcement
Categories Self-Care
Author rboylorn
'Dos and Don'ts
The summer of 2000 I went to my hairdresser and said, "I want you to cut all of this off," pointing emphatically to my badly-damaged permed hair. She asked me if I was sure and I told her I was–and off went four or five inches of angst onto her linoleum floor. What was left was less than an inch of cottony soft dark brown hair.
I was both relieved and scared. I didn't even remember what my natural hair looked like and I'd never had my hair cut so short. That very day I went to the mall and bought a whole bunch of big hoop earrings so that I "wouldn't look like a man or a lesbian," as my mother suggested I would and as I secretly feared. Oh, the internalized patriarchy.
It didn't take long, though, for me to enjoy waking up every day and looking cute, taking just a few minutes to get ready, and generally having healthy hair. The stylistic change also helped to bolster my already burgeoning crunkness around gender representation. After I got my mind (and my hair) right, I never looked back.
So, when I saw Viola Davis rocking a natural 'do on the red carpet at the Oscars' last week, I thought, "She looks great. And she's working that dress out." Now, I was still giving her the side eye about The Help and her conversation with Tavis Smiley, but I hoped the sister would get an Academy Award for her trouble.
I was also pleasantly, but warily, surprised at the generally positive review of her 'do in the mainstream media. Giuliana Rancic over on E! News positively gushed about Davis' hair and I read more than a few articles praising Davis' "bravery" for wearing her natural hair. Now, I know better than to think that the status quo regarding "good hair" had been changed overnight or anything, but I did appreciate the seemingly expanded range of what is being discussed as "beautiful." That being said, it's a hot mess when someone is considered brave for wearing their hair pretty much as it grows out of their head.
There's always a hater though, isn't there? So, after all of this gushing, television personality and self-declared wig connoisseur Wendy Williams went on record saying that Viola Davis' look was not formal enough, in addition to some other disparaging remarks.
Really, Wendy?
Now, ain't nobody really studying Wendy like that and I'm pretty sure Viola Davis isn't crying into her soup about this either. However, just thinking about all the crap women of color, and black women in particular, get about our hair, Wendy gets the supreme side eye for this. The thing is, all that Wendy has said is what you hear in barber shops, beauty salons, and on the streets. Her ill-informed opinion is, all too often, not the exception, but the rule.
When I googled "Viola Davis hair" this medley of wigged out hairstyles appeared under the label "Viola's Best Hair." I'm sort of digging numbers 2 and 9.
And before the chorus of "It's just hair!" rings out, as Britni Danielle over at Clutch recently suggested, "For centuries, our bodies, our hair, and our being have been up for public discussion and display and we cannot deny the fact that sometimes hair is political." Let's not get it twisted.
Between the weather running amok, Republicans trying to get all up in folks' vaginas, and other general shamtastery, we have big fish to fry. Still, that is not to say that the politics around hair don't matter or can't hurt. I know I've seen the pendulum swing in the other direction, with folks with naturals questioning the politics of progressive folk with straightened or chemically relaxed hair, wigs, and weaves. Really? Does the revolution have a dress code? At the end of the day, the choices around hair and representations of feminine beauty are complicated–indeed, as complicated as the folks who rock the hairstyles. If we could remember that, along with remembering that folks just want respect, we can help shift the conversations at beauty salons, among our friends, and in our families. So, with the abundance of foolishness going on I just want to send out some love to sistas rocking wigs, weaves, blow outs, tiny afros, kinky twists, locs, baldies, and any other manifestation of crowning glory. With so much surveillance over bodies (and our minds), seemingly simple acts like confidently rocking a fro or skipping down the street in a lacefront take on all types of social significance. I'm not suggesting that we forget that, but I am saying 'do you, boo.
Tags: body image, hair, Pop Culture, viola davis, wendy williams
Categories Beauty Industrial Complex, Film & TV, Race
Author crunkadelic
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CD Review – Drifting Sun – Forsaken Innocence
on Nov 11, 2021 Nov 11, 2021
Although the band was founded back in the 1990s it is fair to say that Drifting Sun have had an ephemeral existence. The group trundled along with various members then took an extended hiatus for around fifteen years or so until original member keyboardist Pat Sanders decided to reanimate the band with new musicians. This arrangement has resulted in some well-received releases, although again with transient line-ups. Forsaken Innocence again finds a number of new faces in the band. Pat Sanders seemingly has a relaxed outlook on this, working with those musicians he believes to be of interest and capable of achieving his musical vision. Drifting Sun is a studio band in any case, so the approach is a sound one.
The current line-up of the band finds Pat working with some highly talented musicians. Mathieu Spaeter, once of the Franck Carducci Band, again returns to play some stunning guitar as he has done on other recent releases by Drifting Sun. Greek singer Jargon from Verbal Delirium emphatically takes up the vocal mantle, along with occasional keyboards, while former Karnataka, and current ZIO drummer Jimmy Pallagrosi contributes astute and fitting drumming. The phenomenal bassist John Jowitt, who proggers will know from his time with IQ, Jadis, Arena, Frost* and others but now plays in Rain, brings his exceptional skills along too. There are tellingly trenchant guest appearances from Nine Skies' Eric Bouillette, Ben Bell of Gandalf's Fist and Fractal Mirror's Gareth Cole.
The resulting music is diverse, colourful, and epic. The groups inspirations are writ large in some of the sections and sounds deployed. There are hints of Dream Theatre, Marillion, Genesis, Jethro Tull, amongst others and once in a while Barclay James Harvest come to mind. Sometimes the guitars become a little Hackettesque, some of the retro keyboard sounds, particularly the solos, are very Wakemanesque. The skill and the art at play here though means that Pat has created something singular from this. The music has grand sweeping gestures with drive and energy. Although it is quite epic sounding, the music never strays far from being melodic. The music is complex, as are the lyrics. The album title Forsaken Innocence is a reference to the struggles we face when we try to re-find the innocence that has been buried within us from our childhood, and how we have to extract memories and emotions that we'd rather not remember, in a quest for finding such perceived 'goodness' back within ourselves.
The opening track, King Of The Country, is a busy track full of movement that lays down the marker for the album right away. It is attention grabbing. At times the music on display on the album is dark, reflecting the depth of the lyrical content, at others it is lightened by sections based around the piano or acoustic guitars. It is well crafted and beautifully arranged. The album flows through a series of moods and atmospheres, building to the musical crux of the release, the epic Forsaken Innocence. The musical gestures are grand and sweeping, bringing the meaning of the album and its musical execution to an emphatic climax before the concluding Time To Go calms proceedings down and allows space for a little reflection. It is an impressive and imposing album, rich and intricate that rewards being lived with.
Inevitably, not all musical attempts come off. The second track, Insidious, is pleasant enough. It is catchy and almost radio-worthy, but it becomes entangled in itself and its persistence becomes dominant. Not a bad track though, just over long. To a lesser extent the title track bears similar results. You may wonder why the track is split into two separate ones when it could have been a massive grandiloquent one. There are decided differences between the two though. For all the musicianship, the lyrics are highly centred and focused in part one whereas the second part is completely instrumental. Some of the musical ideas later in this piece seem to build into a sort of loop that doesn't really reach a conclusion, the musical patterns becoming a tad repetitive. This is never overbearing though, and it is a fine conclusion to the piece.
This album is as zesty a piece of neo-prog as you are likely to find. It is well crafted, excellently written and consummately played. Pat may be the focus of the release, but he always allows his fellow musicians the space to express themselves. The subject of memory is a fascinating one in any case, and part of it is excellently and intricately explored here. The lyrics and the music are finely balanced, and in spite of the heaviness of the meanings never becomes oppressive. It is well produced, at times having something of Alan Parsons about it. An excellent listen, and something of an important album for the band. It is a monumental statement for them.
1. King of the Country (11:36)
2. Insidious (8:08)
3. Dementium (9:10)
4. New Dawn (6:48)
5. Forsaken Innocence (Part 1) (10:51)
7. Time to Go (2:28)
8. Hand on Heart (bonus track only on Digital & Vinyl editions) (4:48)
Pat Sanders – keyboards
Mathieu Spaeter – guitars
John 'Jargon' Kosmidis – vocals, keyboards (6)
John Jowitt – bass
Jimmy Pallagrosi – drums
Eric Bouillette – violin (1,5), guitars (7)
Ben Bell – Hammond solo (3)
Gareth Cole – guitars (4)
Release date: 27th October, 2021 -Digital)
15th November, 2021 – CD, Vinyl
Formats: double gatefold vinyl / Digipak CD with 12-page booklet
https://driftingsun.co.uk/
Tweets by DriftingSunBand
https://driftingsun.bandcamp.com/
CD Review, Viewed FRom The Peaks
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


What is ideal distance to subject for head and shoulder portraits?
Perspective is a matter of distance and has an effect on facial features and the observed three-dimensional feeling in a two-dimensional photograph. Proper lighting is a big part of this, but that's another question. First I'd choose the distance between camera and subject. I prefer close-up portraits that show only the head and partial shoulder, if even that much. How close to my subject should I go to have natural facial proportions, given that I have a choise with it? Not talking about candid photos taken at opportunity.
My problem is that I don't feel comfortable to be at so short distance to a person I'm photographing. If the situation allows I want to be several meters away from subject, but then with too long distance the result is a "flat" face.
You see I'm only a beginner in portraits, trying to learn as I go on.
Quote from cameras.about.com "Perspective in photography refers to the dimension of objects and the spatial relationship between them."
In a portrait photo we use distance between camera and the subject in such way to create a pleasing and hopefully natural looking perspective. I like a pretty tight crop of only face, neck and usually only one shoulder fully inside frame, sometimes not even that much. I believe it is priority to be at the right distance, and secondary to choose the right focal length of lens. I hope I'm clear enough that I am not asking for recommendations for lens focal lengths. This question is about the distance between camera and subject's face.
At what distance do experienced portrait photographers take their head and shoulder shots?
This is a good question but many of the existing answers seem really convoluted and off the point.
All that matters is distance to the subject, as this is what defines the distortions of facial features.
Focal length is a secondary issue. If you use a wide angle lens, and you are at an optimal distance for a good portrait, you get a lot of the background included in the image. You can crop this image to get the similar field of view as with a zoom lens. You choose a longer focal length to increase bokeh and sharpness that would be lost by cropping the image in post processing.
The optimal length depends on the facial features as some faces seem more pleasing if they are more flat and others seem better if a bit nearer. My experience is that the distance providing most natural photos is between 1.5 meters (5 feet) and 4 meters (13 feet). The flattening above 4 meters can provide an artistic view, but going below 1.5 meters will give you distortions that won't seem natural.
Case in point, I added a quick set of images of my face that seems to look really flat and unatural already starting at 4m due to my facial features. Photos are taken with a canon L zoom lens with a set focal length and aperture (ie. photos are cropped).
It really depends on the kind of shot and what conditions allow. That's why I answered in terms of focal lengths.) Shooting around the 65-85mm effective range is generally considered the most natural and most common, but if you want to flatten the image more, you can push it out to the 105-155 range. There are also some shots that work well in the 24-50 range, particularly when people aren't directly facing the camera or when you really want them to pop out from the scene and have maximum background blur with a short distance to the background.
I also find I tend to like being fairly close for at least a couple of head and shoulder kiss or pre-kiss shots at weddings. This is again because it benefits from the intimacy that the close angle gives and since they are facing each other, noses stand out less. Again however, exactly how you compose and angle the shot is key to making it work when working in that close and it certainly isn't for every (or even most) shots.
As far as physical distance goes, I'd estimate I'm often within the 3 feet to 6 feet range though depending on the type of shot I'm getting though. 10 feet or 12 feet for more body or full body.
The primary reason you don't want to use wideangle lenses for portraiture is perspective distortion. You have to get close to the subject, and that perspective greatly emphasizes some facial features such as the size and shape of the nose in a very unflattering manner. On the other hand, if you're purposely going for a "funny" or "caricature" look (and know your subject has no problem with it) a (ultra)wideangle lens might be just what you want. The close perspective often works nicely when photographing toddlers or pets. I also agree with AJ Henderson's point that it can be a useful tool for giving a photo an intimate feel.
85-135mm lenses (or 50-85 on APS-C) are long enough to give a flattering perspective but not so long that you need to back off so far that things get completely impractical. They're also long enough that the background will be magnified and blurred so as to not be distracting.
You THINK you don't notice the increase in the size of the nose and other perspective effects until you eliminate them with a shot taken from a distance. If you decide you want no exagrration of any features and a "flat" perspective you pick a long distance to stand from your subject. That distance essentially determine the lens' focal length. You pick a lens that will allow the subject to fill as much of the frame as you desire then you take your photo after adjusting aperature, shutter, etc. to taste.
It doesn't take an 11mm to create a lot of distortion. IMO you need to go over 40mm to eliminate most of the perspective and get an image where the closest parts of the face like the tip of the nose don't change in focus from the back of the ears. IMHO one needs to be a minimum of 6 feet away to take an undistorted portrait, with distortion decreasing with increasing distance although if the distance gets too far the subject will get too small and need to be cropped. If I look at two side by side photos of myself with one taken at 3 feet and one at 6 feet there is a HUGE difference. TRY IT! Crop the edges off the one taken at 6 feet and make them the same size. You'll see what I mean about your nose looking bigger due to the distance of the camera to the subject.
I would say the focal length (or you might say the distance to the subject) doesn't really matter. You should use a lens/focal length with a minimal distortion and probably you'll want a nice bokeh too.
Usually, lenses with minimal distortion and nice bokeh have short focal length (50mm-105mm) and also bigger aperture. Big aperture (F/1.4-F/2.8) will reduce the DOF, thus, creating a better out of focus background (bokeh).
According to this, theoretically, you can take a good portrait shot with a 500mm lens, the problem is that you'll have to stand far a way from your subject, you'll have to be very steady to avoid loss of sharpness and you probably won't have a 500mm lens with a 1.8 aperture.
Regardless the lens you choose I would recommend using a big aperture and placing your subject as far as you can from the background. This will improve the bokeh and will emphasize your subject.
I use my Canon 50mm F/1.8 and sigma 105 F/2.8 for portraits, both give nice results, both are prime lenses. I'm stating that because prime lenses quality (in terms of sharpness and distortion) is usually better then zoom lenses and this also affects the result. I find it hard to believe someone will throw thousands of dollars to buy a 600mm prime lens to take some portrait shots while he can enjoy the good quality of a cheap 50mm lens.
When taking the perspective in account, you'll probably get a classic perspective for portraits in with 50mm-100mm lenses. Having said that, portraits can vary.
You said you want to choose the distance first and then the lens. In my opinion it's not the best thing to do. I prefer selecting the best lens for the photo and then the rest.
In a prime lens there is no question (as I stated in the comment to your question). With a zoom lens I would say that it depends on your lens.
I would avoid very wide angle - it creates unnatural perspective and most of the time not a flattering distortion.
I would check in what focal length my lens does not distort the image.
Again, I don't think that you'll get a correct absolute answer that will say "3 meters". I've never seen a photographer with a meter. As far as I know, you should choose your best lens first and then set the focal length + aperture that will give the best result. The distance is only the outcome after optimizing the other parameters.
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged portrait perspective subject-distance headshot or ask your own question.
Why do pro photographers use huge lenses to take portrait shots?
Which focal-length lens is usually used for portrait photography, and why?
50mm vs 85mm for portraits on a crop sensor?
How can I take portraits which seem to capture the essence of a subject I've just met?
Can a telephoto lens have a wide field of view?
Is 85-135mm really the best for every single kind of face?
What kind of lens to use to get sharp images of people from a distance?
How to decide whether a portrait should be in color or black and white?
Cropped frame sensor cameras, what lens do I need for taking portraits close to the face?


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Once Upon A Midnight Drow by Martha Carr & Michael Anderle
I'm not Goth to hide my Drow heritage, I'm Goth because I'm not a quitter.
My name is Cheyenne Summerlin, remember that name. Somebody should…
The world can't know I'm a Drow halfling. Not yet. I barely have these powers under my control, but time's up. I'm about to take magic for a test drive. Want to come along?
The black ops government group believe they can run my life… But I have plans of my own.
Watch out magical evil doers – I'm about to crash your party.
But will my training be enough?
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Hello, I'm Martha Carr, a bestselling author from Austin, Texas. I live there with the good dogs, Lois Lane and Leela, and spend most of my time dreaming of Elves, Witches, Wizards and other magical worlds. I was a nerdy kid from the jump, performing magic at my little brother's birthday party, saving up for DC comic books, inventing elaborate 3D board games or making treasure hunts with a lot of clues that led all over the house.
Fast forward through writing for the Washington Post, having a nationally syndicated column on politics, a few books and FINALLY, I got back to that inner nerdy kid and started writing about Elves and Wizards and magic again in the bestselling series, THE LEIRA CHRONICLES. A little thriller, a lot of magic, some loyal friends, a swearing troll and a detective named Leira Berens who never gives up and always believes in the possibilities. All adds up to a really good time and feels like I finally came home. A lot more adventures to follow…
Michael Anderle, (1967 – ??) was born in Houston, Tx. A very curious child, he got into trouble – a lot. What to do with an inquisitive mind when he was grounded? Read! In the first 20 years, Michael mostly read Science Fiction and Fantasy. In the last 10 years he has enjoyed Urban Fantasy and Military Fiction. With this background, he's been created The Kurtherian Gambit series, a well-selling, and fan loved, collection of stories, and many other series.
The fans have propelled these stories beyond my wildest imagination and they should get all of the credit for sharing with friends, family and occasionally the random person on the street. They are fantastic!
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The Penguins came into Game 2 looking to avoid going down 2-0 heading to Pittsburgh, and in a low scoring contest that saw the Capitals make a priority of getting back and preventing rush chances it was the Pens coming out on top with a 2-1 victory. Carl Hagelin and Eric Fehr scored the goals and Matt Murray stopped 23 of 24 the shots he faced, but the story of the game is likely to be the atrocious job of the referees. For the 2nd straight game, the officials blew an objectionable offense, giving Brooks Orpik only two minutes for interference when he went out of his way to cheapshot Olli Maatta, and Washington scored their lone goal after Kris Letang was whistled for a legal body check.
It didn't take long for the Capitals to continue their dirty play from Game 1. The Pens went on an early power play after Brooks Orpik targeted the head of Olli Maatta on a late hit in during a Pittsburgh rush, leaving Maatta down on the ice and slow to get up. Somehow, someway, the NHL's officials didn't learn from missing a blatant knee-on-knee hit from Tom Wilson on Conor Sheary and inexplicably didn't give Orpik a game misconduct. Now, it's on a largely incompetent Department of Player Safety to finally hand out justice that has been lacking in the series. Pittsburgh wouldn't score on the power play, but it would seem to jolt them into action after a sluggish start to the game.
While the Pens were able to keep the Caps from registering many shots on goal through the majority of the period, they weren't able to generate many legitimate scoring chances on the other end, working mostly from the perimeter as Washington made it a priority to collapse their defense in front of the net. Washington would get a power play late in the period after Evgeny Kuzentsov forced a Ben Lovejoy turnover in Pittsburgh's zone, and Lovejoy would take a slashing penalty as Kuznetsov drove the net. The Capitals would have several good chances on the man advantage, but Matt Murray was up to the challenge and the Penguins killed off the minor.
The teams would enter the intermission still scoreless, and the Penguins would get their second power play of the game as Matt Cullen drew a holding penalty from Kuznetsov as he drove the net. The Pens wouldn't be able to generate much of a scoring threat, and the Caps were able to kill off the Pittsburgh opportunity without much difficulty. Midway through the period the Pens would finally break through and open the scoring. Nick Bonino grabbed the puck from a board battle in the corner and took it behind the net, where he found a wide open Carl Hagelin in front who on timed the puck over Braden Holtby's shoulder to make it 1-0 Pittsburgh. They'd nearly stretch the lead to two seconds later with pressure on the crease but couldn't get the puck past Holtby.
Washington would nearly tie it moments later when Jason Chimera unleashed a shot from the left circle that beat Murray glove high on the far side that hit off the post and ricocheted away. Pittsburgh would get another chance on the man advantage after the Capitals were called for having too many men on the ice. The Penguins wouldn't be able to score on that opportunity, nor would they be able to late in the 2nd period when Taylor Chorney picked up a roughing call on Cullen in the corner. The team was unable to generate offense with the man advantage, and the inability to do so would be a big factor in keeping it a one goal game.
The Capitals would seem to get the tying goal late in the 2nd period on crazy scramble in front of the Penguins' goal, but Kuznetsov was called for goaltender interference on Murray, taking out the Pittsburgh netminder right before Nate Schmidt shot the puck into the empty net. It was immediately waved off on the ice, and the penalty gave the Pens their 5th power play opportunity of the night. They were able to do a better job of generating offensive chances, but they still were unable to get the puck in the net, and the penalty expired seconds before the clock hit 0:00 on the period. Pittsburgh would take the 1-0 lead into the second intermission, but with 4 power plays in the 2nd period they surely would have liked to have built that lead up more.
Getting the next goal would be huge for both teams, and the Capitals would be gifted a power play early in the 3rd period after Kris Letang was called for tripping when he stepped up on Nicklas Backstrom and cleanly checked him to the ice. Naturally, the Caps would capitalize when Marcus Johansson was able to poke in a loose puck sitting in the crease behind Murray. A pair of penalties, Matt Niskanen for hooking Nick Bonino and Bonino for roughing Niskanen, would open up the ice with 4-on-4 action midway through the 3rd period, but it wouldn't be enough for either side to break the tie.
Matt Murray wasn't tested much during the first two periods, but he was huge for the Penguins in the 3rd period, making save after save on good scoring chances for the Capitals to help keep the score tied. His efforts paid off with 4 and a half minutes remaining in regulation as Eric Fehr tipped in an Evgeni Malkin centering feed as Pittsburgh retook the lead 2-1. Washington would pull the goalie and get good pressure in the Pens' zone, but after a series of icings and big stops by Murray the horn sounded to give the Penguins the win.
Washington came into the game with a defense first gameplan, and it showed in the possession game as the Penguins enjoyed a score-adjusted 58.3 CF%. It was a strategy that allowed the Caps to limit the speed of the Pens in the neutral zone, but with as large of a disparity in shot attempts as there was, Washington was lucky to have been in a position to still win the game in the 3rd period. Pittsburgh now has taken the home-ice advantage, and it'll give Mike Sullivan the advantage to better get the matchups he's looking for at home as the Hagelin-Bonino-Kessel line has shown that the Penguins have the edge in forward depth.


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ANA to Revamp Seats on Domestic Flights
29 May 2019 . 2 min read
Airline set to introduce larger touch panel personal seat monitors in both Premium Class and Economy Class.
The number of Premium Class seat will be increased.
TOKYO, May 29, 2019 — All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan's largest and 5-Star airline for seven consecutive years, will be making a series of comprehensive changes to the seats on domestic aircraft as part of its strategy to remain at the forefront of hospitality and passenger comfort for every type of flyer. The renovations will improve Economy Class seats while also increasing the number of Premium Class seats on domestic flights.
"ANA strives to set the standard for comfort on all our flights, and few things play as big a part in passenger comfort as the seat," said Hideki Kunugi, Executive Vice President of ANA. "These changes will allow ANA to meet shifts in demand while ensuring unrivaled comfort and convenience for our passengers. We believe in constantly working to improve the travel experience, and these new seats will place ANA head and shoulders above the competition."
Eight Boeing 777-200 and Eleven Boeing 787-8 aircraft have been selected for the renovations, which are set to begin in fall 2019 and are to be completed by the first half of FY2022. In addition to improvements for both Premium and Economy Class seats, the renovated planes will offer an increased number of Premium Class seats to a total of 28 seats on each aircraft.
New Premium Class seats will boast a 15-inch touch panel personal seat monitor, the largest yet in ANA's domestic Premium Class, as well as an enhanced entertainment library. Furthermore, an expanded Wi-Fi entertainment service will make it possible to access in-flight Wi-Fi entertainment using the ANA app on any smart device. In-flight Wi-Fi entertainment connects passengers to a curated library with nearly 190 TV programs, video, music and e-books. The new seats will be made of an advanced fabric to increase comfort and will offer an ergonomic storage space below the monitor for storing personal items.
In addition to the new seats, passengers will also have access to a rotating table and a retractable side table as well as a privacy partition between seats. All seats also come equipped with a PC adapter and USB power outlet.
The seats in Economy Class are produced by Toyota Boshoku, the top automotive seat designers in Japan. ANA worked closely with Toyota Boshoku to ensure maximum ergonomic seating comfort, access to technology and safety for all passengers. Designers considered a full range of body types and postures to find the ideal balance for the seat as well as to determine monitor positioning. The comfortable tailored seat distributes pressure evenly throughout the body to make sitting more comfortable. In addition, the backrest frame shape has been optimized to make it perfectly fit a range of body types. These same seats and accompanying features have already been installed in six ANA B767-300 aircraft and have received overwhelmingly positive feedback. Bonus features include an 11.6-inch touch panel personal seat monitor, the largest yet for ANA's domestic Economy Class, and an ergonomic beverage holder.
These new seats represent ANA's commitment to advancing comfort, service and hospitality on international and domestic flights alike. The company will continue searching for ways to raise the bar in order to remain a global standard bearer and premier air travel provider.
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Hong Kong – Phase I of Kai Tak Station Square and Kai Tak Avenue Park to open tomorrow
Dec 6, 2021 | International
Phase I of Kai Tak Station Square and Kai Tak Avenue Park to open tomorrow (with photos)
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) announced today (December 6) that the newly built Phase I of Kai Tak Station Square (KTSS) and Kai Tak Avenue Park (KTAP) in Kowloon City District will open for public use from tomorrow (December 7). Located at the heart of Kai Tak town centre, the square and park will be a pleasant and relaxing leisure space with a soft landscaping environment for public enjoyment.
Occupying about 3.5 hectares at the north apron of the former Kai Tak Airport, Phase I of KTSS link between the Kai Tak MTR Station and provides a spacious and quality open plaza and lawn.
Adjacent to KTSS with an area of around 3.2 hectares, KTAP provides diversified recreational facilities to meet the needs of people of all ages. Facilities include thematic gardens, a children's play area, fitness equipment and a basketball court.
Members of the public who plan to visit KTSS and KTAP can walk from Exit A of the Kai Tak MTR Station, or take various bus and minibus routes there. For enquiries, please contact the Kowloon City District Leisure Services Office of the LCSD at 2711 0541 during office hours.


Voltage regulator for Military gasoline powered generator sets, MEP-016A / MEP-017A / MEP-018A, etc.
P/N 13219E0883. NSN 6110007647621. Made in USA. Factory new/unused. Fits various models ranging in size from 3 KW, 5 KW, and 10 KW.
Also included but not pictured is the voltage adjust rheostat, part number M22/03-00191FD.


Plan ahead for your school's walk and bike to school program.
Looking for fun ideas to keep your kids brains and bodies active over the summer? Check out this list of actively fun ideas!
Seventeen WPHS and WP Ninth Grade Center runners compete in IOA Corporate 5k.


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Research Provides Better Understanding of Soils and Water
Jun 2, 2015 | Green Infrastructure | 0
Macropore bubbling seepage and surface runoff near the stream bank demonstrates preferential flow pathways. Image by Henry Lin
Soil scientists have struggled with accurately measuring water flow through soil for years. Even the smallest soil details can sway water's path from the straight, sequential line gravity alone might demand. These minute differences contribute to water's "preferential flow."
Locally, preferential flow affects how much water soils can store, how soils retain nutrients, and how agricultural chemicals move through soil. It also affects soil's ability to filter and the stability of the landscape. On this small scale, pathways include root channels, animal burrows, cracks in dry soil, and spaces between soil aggregates. On a larger scale, preferential flow affects the entire water cycle—the continuous movement of water among the oceans, air, and land. Topography, vegetation, and other complexities become important.
Research published in the March 2015 issue of Soil Science Society of America Journal, on "Frequency and Control of Subsurface Preferential Flow: from Pedon to Catchment Scales," aims to address some of the technological challenges associated with measuring preferential flow.
The study, led by Pennsylvania State University Professor Henry Lin, examined methods to scale up observations from the smallest, basic unit of soil to the larger landscape. Lin says that most previous field studies have disturbed the soil and provided one-time results. Techniques that don't disturb the soil are becoming more popular. These methods provide a big picture but can miss fine details.
Lin's group pursued a novel approach to measuring preferential flow in the Shale Hills Catchment area of central Pennsylvania. Researchers installed soil moisture sensors at various locations, from the surface all the way to the boundary between soil and bedrock. The sensors connect together in a computer-monitored network for periodic, automatic measurements.
The current study looks at soil moisture data from 412 events over 6.5 years and includes 25 sites.
Lin found the unique water patterns depended on small-scale elements. "It was the interplay between landform units and soil types, coupled with initial soil moisture and precipitation features, that determined the initiation and persistence of preferential flow," he said.
Lin discovered "hot spots" and "hot moments" in water flow. For example, dry soils toward the top of a slope and wet soils at the bottom showed greater occurrence of preferential flow. South-facing slopes also had more preferential flow compared to north-facing ones. Additionally, the valley floor and swales near a stream had a greater chance of preferential flow occurrence than the middle of hill slopes. Intense precipitation increased preferential flow as well.
The soil-monitoring network also revealed a hidden flow pattern beneath the soil surface. Lin describes these patterns as both structured and dynamic. "Pathways may be linked via a series of nodes in a network, which may be switched on or off and expand or shrink depending on local soil moisture conditions, rainfall inputs, and plant activities," Lin says. "With time, these networks may self-organize, thus forming temporally stable…pathways."
Lin describes two areas for future research into preferential flow. First, he says, studies must "go beyond classical small-scale physics" and provide a meaningful method for scaling up small-scale observations over large areas. Second, researchers must find ways to overcome the challenges associated with measuring and mapping preferential flow as it happens in the landscape.
Lin hopes researchers worldwide will use these techniques. This could contribute to a wider understanding of how water flows across diverse landscapes.
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'High risk' of armed conflict over Ukraine, Russian defense ministry warns
Russia's deputy defense minister warned foreign ambassadors of a "high risk" of conflict between the country and its neighbor Ukraine — one day after President Vladimir Putin threatened "diverse" military and technical responses if the West doesn't address his stated concerns.
These latest messages from Moscow are the kind that have had U.S. and other western officials on edge that Putin will launch an assault on Ukraine, even after President Joe Biden warned him doing so would bring massive penalties.
Etat Major des Armees via AFP via Getty ImagesThis handout picture released by the Etat Major des Armees (The French Defense Staff) on Dec. 21, 2021, shows two Soukhoi SU-30 flying over the Black Sea.
The Biden administration has repeatedly called for diplomacy with Russia to de-escalate tensions and end the war in Ukraine's eastern provinces, nearly eight years after Russian troops armed separatist forces in a conflict that continues to simmer and claim lives.
But Russia's demands for security guarantees, including that Ukraine be barred from joining NATO, have been called "unacceptable" by U.S. officials — possibly purposefully so, so that Russia can later claim to have given diplomacy a shot.
Russia has said it has no plans to invade but demanded the U.S., NATO, and Ukraine take seriously its concerns.
MORE: Biden confronts Putin over Ukraine in high-stakes meeting
"We didn't make the proposals just to see them blocked in terms of the diplomatic process, but for the purpose of reaching a negotiated diplomatic result that would be fixed in legally binding documents. We will aim at this," Putin said Sunday.
His Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin blamed NATO again Monday for provoking conflict by sending warships and reconnaissance planes to back Ukraine. That echoes a statement last week by his boss, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who claimed Ukraine, with U.S. mercenary help, is preparing a chemical weapons attack.
MORE: Russia planning 'significant aggressive moves against Ukraine,' Blinken warns
"The alliance has recently switched to the practice of direct provocations accompanied by the high risk of turning into armed confrontation," Fomin said during a meeting that included envoys from 14 NATO countries.
It's the kind of false pretext for an invasion that U.S. officials and analysts have warned Russia may create to justify an invasion.
Vadim Savitsky/TASS via ZUMA PressRussia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (C), deputy Alexander Fomin (L), and Dmitry Shugayev (R), head of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, meet with India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi, Dec. 6, 2021.
"Russia is ostensibly outraged by a crisis of their own making," said Mick Mulroy, a senior Trump administration Pentagon official and ABC News national security analyst. "It was Russia that put around 175,000 troops on the border and threatened to invade again if its demands were not met — 'Do what I ask, or I will attack and occupy a sovereign country against all international norms.'"
The estimated number of Russian troops near Ukraine have ranged from 60,000 to over 100,000, with one leaked U.S. intelligence document warning Russia could be prepared to swiftly deploy as many as 175,000. U.S. officials have cited those troop movements, along with Russian propaganda attacks on Ukraine, which they say have increased tenfold, and bellicose rhetoric as evidence of a possible invasion.
MORE: Russia may be 'looking to move further' into Ukraine, its foreign minister warns
But diplomacy could stave off war. The U.S. and Russia have agreed to hold talks in January to address each side's concerns, along with talks between NATO and Russia and meetings at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, according to U.S. officials. The OSCE, a key security forum, has deployed a war monitor in eastern Ukraine for years as the conflict has taken some 14,000 lives.
Didier Lauras/AFP via Getty ImagesThis photograph taken on Dec. 19, 2021, from the deck of the frigate Auvergne shows the Romanian frigate Regina Maria during an exercise with the Romanian and Italian army in the waters of the Black Sea off Constanta, Romania.
After coordinating a meeting between the Ukrainian government and the Russian-controlled separatists last week, the OSCE declared Thursday that both sides showed a "strong determination to fully adhere" to a July 2020 ceasefire agreement. The statement was heralded by Biden's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and the State Department, whose spokesperson said, "We hope the resultant peace will create the diplomatic space necessary to de-escalate regional tensions and provide a positive atmosphere for further discussion."
There has been no "resultant peace." Three Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in shelling that last for hours on Sunday. There had been five times more ceasefire violations this month than last December, according to the OSCE.
MORE: Biden warns of 'severe consequences' if Putin moves on Ukraine
But there was some notable Russian troop movements, according to state-run Interfax news agency, which reported that more than 10,000 troops pulled back from near Ukraine's borders after military drills. The Kremlin also said Monday that it made sense to engage NATO directly about its security concerns, in addition to the U.S.
Whether that is yet a sign for hope that war can be avoided is unclear. U.S. officials have said it's still unknown whether Putin has decided to invade, with tens of thousands of troops still in the area, including in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula Russia invaded and seized in 2014.
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Chattanooga, TN – July 16, 2017: The United Tiny House Association, organizer of the for-charity Tiny House Festivals and our Nation's largest tiny house event, the 60K+ attendee 2016 Florida Tiny House Festival, is bringing its for-charity Tiny House Festival to the Volunteer State.
Audubon Acres, Chattanooga, Tennessee, September 8-10, 2017!
As with its previous record-breaking, for-charity Tiny House Festivals, the United Tiny House Association will be bringing DOZENS of tiny houses and micro homes, television celebrities, national and world recognized leaders from the tiny house community, Friday and Saturday night-time concerts and fire performers, day-time live entertainment, continuous free movie showings, dozens of workshops and presentations, a FREE School Field Trip Session for students on Friday from 9AM-2PM, a FREE for EVERYONE Session Friday Evening from 5PM-8PM, and of course the fund raising for various charities and great causes the Tiny House Festivals have become known for.
United Tiny House Association founders, John and Fin Kernohan, and their Board, have organized Tiny House Festivals in different states for the past two years as a means of promoting awareness of the tiny house movement and as a source of philanthropy to support great causes and charities in the communities and states where their events are held.
Recently, the United Tiny House Association fully funded the building of a tiny house for a homeless veteran and his wife from the proceeds of their 2nd Annual Georgia Tiny House Festival, as well as being a source of fund raising for dozens of non-profits, charitable organizations, and great causes during its 2nd Annual Georgia and 2017 New Jersey Tiny House Festivals.
Note: The Kernohans have lived for over five years in their 304sqft tiny house known as "Beloved Cabin" and are now traveling the US in their 148sqft tiny house, the "Tiny Firehouse - Station No. 9", which is a tribute to fire fighters, and supports fire stations and is used to promote fire prevention awareness. The Kernohans can also be seen and heard on various news outlets; such as TODAY.COM, magazines, podcasts, online blogs, and newspapers. They will also be featured August 24, 2017 on HGTV's "Tiny House, Big Living".
For information about the 2017 Tennessee Tiny House Festival or the United Tiny House Association, please contact Chairman, John Kernohan, at 706-623-4332 (office), 954-558-3619 (event cell), by email unitedtinyhouse@yahoo.com, or visit www.unitedtinyhouse.com.


JP@Home is a membership-based program of Ethos, a 44-year-old non-profit dedicated to promoting the health, independence, and dignity of older adults and persons with disabilities.
The program is intended for middle income older adults who reside in Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, West Roxbury, Hyde Park, Mission Hill, Roxbury, and Brookline and want to age in place. Members subscribe to JP@Home to receive access to Ethos' services at discounted rates and numerous social, health, and wellness activities.
Jamaica Plain residents, partnering with Ethos, are creating JP@Home to keep JP women and men in their homes as long as possible through JP@Home social networks, information and services.
From social events and programming to providing information and referrals to vetted or prescreened providers, JP@Home is here to provide services that help older adults live independently.
The Village concept aims to "support the medical, functional, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of older adults." Residents create Villages to help coordinate and deliver services and supports within their communities. Villages reflect their communities through variations in design, capacity, and operation. Many older adults join these Villages because of a desire to remain in their homes and not be dependent on family members and friends.
Beacon Hill Village, established in Boston in 2001, is one of the most recognized models of the Village concept. What started as a group of residents who wanted to receive services and supports in their homes and communities has now evolved into a national movement.
Currently, there are over 360 Village organizations across the United States in operation or development.
Contact JP@Home at: jpathome@ethocare.org, 617-522-9042 or JP@Home c/o Ethos, 555 Amory Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130.