Great 28 -Black Love 2014 Traci Bartlow

I met this sistah on the dance floor, and it's been on the one ever since! The love this woman has for our people and our culture, coupled with her talent and vision make her a force to be reckoned with and a straight up home girl for real. Prone to uplift yo vibe and enhance your funkentelechy, y'all please dig Ms. Traci "B-Love" Bartlow.

 

Traci Bartlow is one of the Bay Area's most mutli faceted artists. A native of Oakland California, this dancer / choreographer, photographer, poet has worked internationally in theater, film television and print. Her early beginings as "a dancer on the block" have evolved to being proficient in many dance styles including old school and new school hip hop dance, Lindy Hop, Jazz, West African dance and House. A striking beauty represented by Stars, The Agency in San Francisco she currently works in print, television and film. 

Traci is the founder and creative director of Starchild Enterprise, which is based on the African Adinkra symbol Nsoroma whose meaning translates to, 'my illumination is merely a reflection of God's or, Child of the Heavens'. This is the guiding principal for all Traci's creative endeavors. Traci is a cultural worker with over 20 years experience as a dancer, choreographer, teacher, photographer, director, producer, community organizer,  and gardener. Owner and operator of B-Love's Guest House, Traci is also an artist/activist and core member that helped to found and develop the Eastside Cultural Center. 

B-Love’s Guest House is a unique extension to Traci's lifestyle of wellness and creativity. Catering to the visiting artist or business professional, this guest house is a cute and spacious 5 bedroom apartment on the street level of her Victorian home. Click on this link to find out more about B-Love's Guest House.

For more info check out the tracibartlow.com and you can "like" Starchild on Facebook or follow @TraciBartlow on Twitter to find out about upcoming shows and workshops.

Great 28 -Black Love 2014 Iyatunde Oshunade Folayan

OhKay, this one right here!???... She on a mission, this sistah put the 'ack in Black (as in 'ack like you know'). She ain't playin' and she ain't scared... leaving her mark everywhere she go, and comin' to a liberation near you. It is my pleasure to present this daughter of Detroit, the fierce, multi-talented, non-stop, Ms. Iyatunde Oshunade Folayan.

The proud granddaughter of cotton pickers, singers and farmers from Alabama, she is the loving rebel daughter of a retired GM auto worker/former cotton picker and a school administrator. Iyatunde's given name is LaTrice Annette Dixon. 

A Detroit native, she was the first in her family to graduate from a university. As a student at the University of Michigan in the late 80's, Iyatunde remembers being politicized by a lone, Black Lesbian protester outside her dorm room window. Soon thereafter, she joined the United Coalition Against Racism (UCAR), a student group that led the historic winning campaign to increase Black student enrollment at U-M, setting a pro-affirmative action trend at universities nationwide. After obtaining her degree in Political Science, Iyatunde moved to New York and took classes in video and film at Third World Newsreel and the Nuyorican Poet's Cafe. The universe aligned so that she would get an opportunity to work as a producer and music researcher on the PBS documentary of her hero called A Litany for Survival: The Life and Work of Audre Lorde. 

After obtaining her MFA from the first graduated class in Media Arts at City University of New York in 1999 and received Best Screenplay for her film short The Book of Ezekiel. Before leaving the East Coast in 1999, she returned to Detroit and co-founded S.P.I.C.E., Sistahs Providing Intelligence Creative and Empowerment, a nurturing and supportive organization to serve the needs of Detroit's Black Lesbians. 

A passionate supporter of independent media, Iyatunde co-founded the South Centeral Radio Collective and birthed the first Black women's radio show on Los Angeles' KPFK (90.7 FM) entitled Some of Us Are Brave. While living in Long Beach, Iyatunde collaborated with Dorothy Randall Gray and programmed A Burst of Light, Long Beach's first Black Lesbian film and poetry series, founded The Here To Stay Coalition with Yardenna Aaron in 2008 and organized the first Black, queer contingent to march annually in Los Angeles' Kingdom Day Parade. Under the tutelage of Queen Hollins, Iyatunde is honored to be a gatekeeper at the EarthLodge Center for Transformation and the Queer Full Moon Circle in Long Beach.

Iyatunde has been unceasing in her efforts to address the issues, celebrate the achievements, and  support the creation of healing spaces, within the Black/Queer community intersection locally and globally; reaching out to, raising awareness around and standing in solidarity with our queer brothers and sisters on the continent.

Based in Detroit, Iyatunde works closely with Black LGBT community there and is completing her screenplay Who Saves Brown Girls Who Don't Holler?

Follow Iyatunde on Twitter @IyatundeF to see what she's up to.
 

 

Great 28 -Black Love 2014 K.C. Lehman

It has been a pleasure to see this sistah's commitment to education for liberation continue to grow and manifest. Serious about the business at hand, KC is steady on task; creating spaces for real talk about challenging topics in the community, bringing folks together, calling for and taking action to create change up close and in person. Top Shelf, grassroots, knowledge wisdom, plus she's mad cool and nice with it. A Super Black Love shout out to my "Lil Sis" KC Lehman :-)

KC is the founder and visionary for the Black Is website. Born out of frustration at the lack of Black culture sites online not fully dedicated to gossip and celebrity, KC crafted Black Is as a think tank of ideas and discussions to help bolster the black community specifically in Los Angeles. An educator and licensed real estate agent by day, KC also has a passion for improving the world for the youth and empowering people of color through economic growth. Currently she hosts The Break podcast series. 

Black Is is a website that showcases the interests and experiences of Black American people. We are purveyors of Black-owned businesses, artistry, culture, and lifestyle. We are dedicated to sharing how rich and diverse this experience is with all members of the human race. Based in Los Angeles, CA we are also purveyors of Los Angeles events that occur within the myriad of Black communities here. 

Check out BlackIsOnline for recent podcast and more information