Before I start off this newsletter/occasional email/shared journal or whatever this will end up becoming, I just want to say thank you to everyone one who provided their contact and showed interest in being a part of this. Way more people than I anticipated replied to me and that really means a lot to know you all want to read my words and keep up with my creative endeavors. I hope this project will be of benefit to you all, and pray everything is good with each and everyone of you. That being said, here are some things going on in my head as of late.
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As many of you probably know, these past 2 months I spent in Istanbul, Turkey with my brother, cousin and a few other friends. I just got back almost 2 weeks ago now (haven't told many people just because I am quarantining for safety and will be getting tested soon), but what I can say is that, it feels good to be back home, in America that is. I notice we Americans often tend to idealize and romanticize places outside of our country. We may feel like life somewhere else, say, like Mexico, would be so much easier, cheap and enjoyable, or walking the streets of Paris with a baguette is the way to live and so on. And while these things may in turn be true, we tend to forget that the structures of society are prominent wherever you go. Racism exists even in Africa, France is literally a country run by a violent Islamophobe (who just caught Corona btw haha), and Mexico is still dealing with femicide, drug cartels, and corruption. We all tend to forget these things however, and it was with this reasoning in mind I went to Turkey with the desire to move there and not come back, all because America was so overwhelming.
I felt leaving this place was the best option for everybody, especially Black and Muslim people, because I was personally just so tired -- tired of reading the news, of hearing of Black death, of seeing the degradation of integrity in my Muslim community. But spending time away, in a Muslim country especially, despite how beautiful the experience may have been, I realize the immense privileges our country truly has. From our ability to speak freely and proudly of whatever we want, to our vast opportunities at careers and education, to our IMMENSELY DIVERSE communities which allow us to learn and grow alongside people so different from us. These are all things I will never take for granted again, especially being that my parents migrated here specifically to give me this life. I know America ain't all that sweet, and there's a lot to be mad and embarrassed about, (as I was embarrassed even saying I was American to Turks), but it's a lot less ghetto than we may feel hahaa, so I'm feeling very grateful.
B <3
Here are some pics from Turkey:
Here's some stuff I been really into lately:
Currently watching: 2046 by Wong Kar-Wai (so damn good)
Currently have these on repeat:
"Sibone" - this is from the film 2046 ^
And this Stereolab track, "One Note Samba"
Artist Watch:
Derek Fordjour . Ghanaian-American painter. Big G.
Currently reading:
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan & On Writing by Stephen King
Video:
A short Islamic Reminder on brotherhood from Mufti Muhammad Muneer
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If you've read this far, I want to put you on to this crazy site my friend Omar put me on recently. It's illegal as hell I'm sure but it's too good to pass up lol. Basically there is this site: libgen.rs where you can download and read just about any ebook you can think of for FREE. To download, you just search the book you want, find it in the search engine, then to the right of each book selection, there are numbers in brackets like this: [1]. Click on the number [1], as this is usually the best download link for whatever book you are trying to get, then it'll take you to a page of the book cover and a synopsis. When you get to this page, there is a link above the book reading "GET". Click on that and the book will download almost immediately. This works on both phone and desktop and can be accessible in iBooks... I know pirating is horrible but we can't buy every book in the world lol. For y'all in school USE THIS SHIT.
P.S. Just want to say congrats to everybody who just finished up a semester of school btw. Ya boy just graduated from college , Alhamdulilah. Now I gotta figure out wth to do lol.
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That's all from me for this one ya'll. Thanks for reading. And please feel free to reply to these emails if you feel inclined to. I'll be here.
B.
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"Everything is valuable, nothing is precious" - Hilton Als