This week has been quite busy between calls, meetings, and prepping for our pop-up that took place Tuesday evening but I'm quite happy that I managed to make time for a little cumbia dance lesson in the neighborhood over the weekend. A class by the one and only Mark Saldana aka cumbia baddie.
Honestly, I was terrified because I truly have two left feet but I've always wanted to take some dance classes! A bunch of wrong turns but no broken necks or rolled ankles—a success in my book.
And our embroidery session Tuesday night was also so grounding and relaxing. I can see why so many folks pick up knitting and crocheting. I was completely dialed in and my mind wasn't swirling with any anxiety!
Noted. Definitely need more activities and hobbies to break up my week. If y'all have any suggestions, I'm all ears! 📝
Thanks to everyone who joined us for our Resistance by Design event earlier this week at AM:PM Gallery! It was lovely to see some old and new faces!
We couldn't have selected a better venue for the event. The gallery's owner, Joseph Diaz is an artist whose art showcases Puerto Rico's history of resistance. We really love his piece celebrating Don Pedro Albizu Campos, a freedom fighter who organized the Sugar Cane strike in 1933 against exploitation by the American Sugar Refining Company (ASR) or Domino Sugar, the name most of us are familiar with.
And for those of you who didn't have a chance to come out, do check out Tala's eponymous label Tala Barbotin Khalidy. Tala works with Lebanese and Syrian artisans to revitalize local endangered craft techniques. I am currently obsessed with the embroidered boat top that I wore at the event, especially as an island girl. This particular embroidery was inspired by a painting on a Lebanese truck. 🪡👗
As always, you can keep track of any new pop-ups or workshops on our events page here.
I'm a little disappointed with y'all. Why has no one shared with me how good this reboot series is?! I binged Season 1 this weekend so I can catch up to the Season 2 episodes. I really hope it doesn't get canceled because I haven't seen many folks talking about it. And this was only validated by this tweet. His whole thread is hilarious—it's exactly how I feel after my binge. 🤣
Interesting interview with Nathaniel Popper, author of the new book, The Trolls of Wall Street, where he unpacks the saga with GameStop, and the rise of a new class of retail investors vs. institutional investors 📉
Amahla is a singer/songwriter from East London and her voice is absolutely gorgeous. I fell in love with this one track that she sings in English and in French. Ça Suffit or Enough is an ode to global Black history, extending from across the UK, Africa, the Caribbean, and the US.
She details the struggle and exhaustion of dealing with racial discrimination, as this track was inspired by the murder of George Floyd and the conviction of the police officer, Derek Chauvin. The video for this song is just as moving and beautiful.
