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green afro honey via wickedandco

 

shop new arrivals via blackunicornmerch

 

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happy holidays from ahsek novel

 

happy thanksgiving from brown sugar babes!!!

 

Source: Ahsek Novel

ahsek novel: sign the CROWN act petition!!!

Digital Creator, Ahsek Novel @ahseknovel wants you to read and sign #theCROWNact

to ensure the end of hair discrimination in your state!!! Green Afro Honey has always supported natural black hair independence and will continue to highlight diversity and celebrate black women in Health/Beauty and Entertainment!!! 

shop now at poetic justice!!!

ahsek novel: black unicorn merch 2018 promo

Source: Brown Sugar Promotions LLC

let's tweet together

Tweets by @GreenAfroHoney

how's my makeup: ahsek novel

                                 Ahsek Novel, Summer 2016 for Brown Sugar Promotions LLC

"I like to wear makeup especially eyeliner and mascara...you can use makeup to get the look you want but you also want to feel good about what you're wearing regardless of what others may think so wear it proudly...eventually you'll learn what looks good and what doesn't look good on you just like certain hairstyles and you'll develop a technique on how to best apply your makeup, no one can tell you that, please know that wearing makeup doesn't always mean looking like a clown as i've seen some really great before/after photos of natural, barely there makeup shots but healthy skin is always the winning factor, if the skin is healthy then your makeup will look even better and for some this means the less makeup you'll want to wear, it's science...the best thing about makeup in 2016 is that there are more shades to accommendate all of our skintones in regards to liquid and pressed foundation, i still mix but for the most part i'm a solid Caramel complexion with warm golds and yellow undertones just like honey or sweet tea...i don't like loud colors in general but i will try 'em just to see if i fancy how it looks on my face...as far as brands, i really enjoyed M.A.C for foundation and lip color even wanted to be a brand ambassador for them until i heard they tested on animals and i'm not cool with that so i switched up, L'oreal has a pretty good mascara and eyeliner which i currently use for most of my photoshoots...alot of times i've found that other women will try and "makeup shame" you, not guys but women (which is really not want i'm trying to catch...keeping it real grown with that) and my thing is anyone can wear makeup and good for you if you don't have to or if you choose not to...just like wearing weave, eyelashes, colored contacts, acrylic nails, spray tans and bronzers or whatever you do to look the way YOU want...not really sure why that would make someone else mad but there are so many things in this world that others have no control over...thank the heavens for maturity and common sense LOL" -Ahsek Novel, San Francisco

 shown: Milani.cosmetics prime shield oil free face primer, 03 lady-like sheer nail lacquer, 31 pink beige nail lacquer, Neutrogena nourishing long wear makeup spf20 cocoa 115, L'Oréal Parisl colour riche lip gloss 164 nude illusion, Revlon ultra HD matte lip color 600 devotion, Maybelline New York the blushed nude eye shadow and dream wonder power 90 caramel available at CVS Beauty Club

shown: L'Oréal Paris blackest black mascara extra volume 675, carbon black telescopic liner, LA palette nude 1 and 2 eye shadow available at CVS Beauty Club


Source: Instagram

event pics: professional business women 2016

Media: Facebook

highlights from green festival 2015

Peace, blessings and green love to all...

I was totally on location for two days of this year's Green Festival in San Francisco, California providing media coverage for Brown Sugar Promotions LLC similar to our previous years. The festival generally spans for three days and hosts over 250 exhibitors showcasing the very best in sustainability and green living. As a proud member of the Sierra Club, I also enjoyed a discount on tickets...yup, I really wanted to put that out there ;)

Day 1: Friday 11/13/15
This year, the festival was held at the Cow Palace (a venue I haven't been to since the Family Values Tour a la KoRn, Limp Bizkit, Filter...anyway) which is huge with tons of parking compared to Fort Mason and the Concourse Convention Center in 2014 and 2013 respectfully. I spent most of the day browsing the Arena, enjoying lunch, networking and a bit of shopping as well as stacking up on samples of new products including the Pomegranate & Dark Chocolate Kashi bars. A special thanks to the following exhibitors: Kivita, Bee D'Vine, Naturade, DotGreen, Vegan Smart, LaVigne, AnnaMarie Skin Care, Living Green Design, Kashi, AloeCream, EZwyp, American Health, Blue Orange Games, All 4 Humanity, Earth Paste, Now Real Tea, Purely Inspired, SDI Insulation Inc, Savers and Paintball Tickets

Day 2: Saturday 11/14/15
A bit more active in the North and South concourses, I spent the day test driving the VW eGolf (actually S/O to my driver Jennifer for getting me around safely and informing me on the benefits of this really cool vehicle), enjoying a meditation session in the yoga doom, attending Ryan Folands' seminar Build Your Green Business & Change the World the Expert Dojo Way and even participating in a cooking show with Chef Kab. A special thanks to exhibitors: DotGreen, Bee D'Vine, Sweet Pot Naturals, Way Better Snacks, Organic Roots, Paavani Skincare, Solar City, It Works, Soma Naturals, Nirvana Jewel, Black to Life, Harvest Hemp Foods, GoodLife Roots, GoRaw, Pascha Chocolate Company, Organic Essence, Wildflowers, 5 Senses Gems and Jewelry and Integral Yoga Institute San Francisco

What I liked most about the festival this year was the venue and the diversity among the exhibitors, the professionalism of the booth operators and the friendliness of the volunteers. What I did not like about the festival this year was the food or lack of variety within the food court...the worst garden burger i have EVER tasted. All that being stated, I am excited for what next years festival has to offer. Click here to view more pics.

All pics credit to Ahsek Novel per Green Afro Honey © 2015

Green Afro Honey is a Brown Sugar Promotions LLC company

i stand in solidarity with baltimore...

Today, right here, right now and at this very moment
I Stand in Solidarity with Baltimore
Like the other speakers, I just wanted to share a few words
about the police actions and the community uprising in Baltimore

Being that we are miles away, there are citizens that look like
you and me that are still the minority and who are tired of being silenced
tired of being overlooked
tired of being racially profiled
tired of being falsely accused and wrongfully imprisoned
tired of being beaten and raped by an undercompensating system

Yes.
Today, right here, right now and at this very moment
I stand in solidarity with Baltimore to acknowledge the
System Errors happening throughout this country

Let us not forget the countless mothers, fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers and
their mothers and fathers who marched, sung hymns and even lost their lives
in the fight for freedom and equality throughout this country by which their
tears, sweat and blood fertilized a nation and gave birth to our generation of social activist

Let us not forget that many of our sisters and brothers in spirit are still not free
let us not forget that there is injustice happening right now
there is racism happening right now
there is sexism happening right now
there is classism happening right now
and that by taking a stand together right now, we send a message for change, for justice, for peace

Rise up [San Francisco], Rise Up!!!



“I Stand in Solidarity with Baltimore” written by Kesha Johnson-Clark  aka Ahsek Novel
Brown Sugar Promotions LLC © 2015
Kesha is a W.O.R.D organizer with the San Francisco, California chapter

lynching: the case of maile hampton

Black woman's 'lynching' charge: an unsettling tactic to punish activism?

Maile Hampton, the African American activist who was arrested for “lynching” after trying to pull a fellow protester away from police during a January rally against law enforcement brutality in Sacramento, has a large black butterfly tattooed across her neck.
Below it, scrawling script reads: “Have faith in me.”

It means: “Have faith that I am here to change the world,” said the 20-year-old with a youthful mix of passion and innocence. She got it about a year ago, around the same time she began to be politically active, she said.

That optimism will be tested when Hampton heads into court on 9 April, facing a charge that carries the possibility of four years in prison and a lifetime of being labeled a felon.
Video of the rally shows police tussling with a protester in the street while activists on the sidewalk yell: “Who do you protect? Who do you serve?”

A woman who appears to be Hampton enters the street, carrying a bullhorn. She grabs the handle of a sign held by the protester being detained by police and attempts to pull it away from an officer who is also holding it. She is then pushed away by other officers.
Hampton’s arrest – and sensational-sounding charge – made headlines. California’s lynching law was put on the books in 1933, to prevent mobs from forcibly taking people from police custody for vigilante justice.

But the statute has long been used against protesters as well, by police if not prosecutors. In 1999, anti-fur protesters in San Francisco who blocked access to a Neiman Marcus store in Union Square were charged under the lynching law. Prosecutors declined to take the case to court.

 

 

 

 

In 2011, police in Oakland used it against members of the Occupy movement, arresting at least two activists, Tiffany Tran and Alex Brown, on the count during a sweep of a public plaza. The charges were dropped.

In 2012, police in Los Angeles also used the lynching law against Occupy, when an activist named Sergio Ballesteros was accused of intervening in an arrest during an Art Walk – according to published reports, the charge was later dropped.

Last year, in the conservative Southern California enclave of Murrieta, it was used on at least one activist, Janet Mathieson, who was arrested while protesting in support of migrant detainees. She is scheduled for sentencing on 10 April, in a plea bargain that involves dropping the felony charge and pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstructing or resisting, according to Riverside County district attorney spokesman John Hall.

Shortly after Hampton’s arrest, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson asked state legislators to take the term out of the penal code, saying via Twitter on 25 February that the “word ‘lynching’ has a long and painful history in our nation. It’s time to remove its use in CA Law”.

Perhaps that is why the use of the lynching law against a black woman struck many as notable. But some activists say the felony count itself is indicative of a change in attitude of police in the California state capital.

“I have no doubt whatsoever that the Sacramento police department’s response has changed as the police brutality protests began late last year,” said Cres Vellucci of the Sacramento chapter of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG), an organization whose members attend rallies as independent observers, to monitor police response.

“It’s very apparent, at least to NLG observers like me, that officers want the protests to stop, and if people have to be abused, or arrested or otherwise mistreated, that will happen.”

‘Targeted by police’

Hampton, sitting in her lawyer’s office in mid-March with her half-brother, Jamier Sale, for an exclusive interview with the Guardian, said she believed she and Sale were being targeted by police because they were “very active in the Black Lives Matter movement”.

Her arrest took place during a counter-protest that was marching towards to a pro-law enforcement rally.

“It’s clear [law enforcement] are trying to target two of the most powerful Answer activists,” she said, referring to the Act Now To Stop War and Racism Coalition, a group that has grown in prominence nationally as an organizing body for the Black Lives Matter movement and other issues.
“Based on how law enforcement has interacted with us and tried to get information, we know that they know that we are very intersectional in our activism and we are two young educated people of color,” said Hampton, who also has joined rallies for pro-Palestine causes, raising the minimum wage (she works a low-wage job as a car detailer), organizing fast food workers and a recent event for Cesar Chavez day, among others.

“And they see that as a threat,” added Sale, who has a habit of finishing his sister’s thoughts.
Sale recently concluded his own run-in with the law, after being cited for jaywalking at a Black Lives Matter protest in November. That case made it to court in March, resulting in a $240 fine and a friend starting the hashtag #leavethisfamilyalone in support of Hampton and Sale.

Sacramento police spokesperson Traci Trapani said she “didn’t think” lynching was a common charge in a city where rallies happen on an almost weekly basis, but she was unable to provide numbers. She added that most protests were a “peaceful process” in which officers were “accommodating” of protesters.

While video of the 18 January protest that led to Hampton’s arrest makes it clear that she did have an individual interaction with law enforcement officers, there are questions about how the resulting arrest and charges are moving through the courts.

“Certainly there did not appear to be any conduct that rose to a felony level,” said Hampton’s pro bono lawyer, Linda Parisi, who has advised her client not to speak about the events surrounding the arrest itself. “It makes you say: ‘Really, you’ve charged this young woman with a felony charge of lynching? Is that right? Is that the message we want to send?’”

Other arrests but different outcomes

Parisi said two other protesters were arrested for lynching that day, with a different outcome from Hampton’s.

Emily Cinder, a 19-year-old Caucasian woman, and her fiancé, Strong Walls, a 21-year-old mixed-race man who says he was booked into jail as Caucasian, faced the same charge.

Video shows multiple officers arresting Walls in the street while protesters, including Hampton, shout from the sidewalk, where police had ordered them to stay. Other video later shows Hampton in the street with officers.

Walls said he was in jail for three days – a claim confirmed by his lawyer – and was eventually released, along with Cinder, on his own recognizance. The Sacramento district attorney has not filed charges against either, although it has the ability to do so until April 2016, according to spokeswoman Shelly Orio.

Orio declined to comment specifically on any of the three activists, saying the DA did not comment on ongoing cases. She was also unable to give any statistics on the number of people prosecuted for lynching in Sacramento.

Walls said he had “no idea” why he and Cinder were released while Hampton’s charges remained.
The police did not detain Hampton and she said no officer recorded her personal information. She did not know a warrant had been issued for over a month, until officers came to her mother’s house to arrest her.

“The cops said to me you’re not charged with anything, the judge just wants to talk you,” she said. But she was booked into jail on multiple charges, including the felony count of lynching.

 

 

“It seemed very hypocritical and outrageous that … four uniformed white men came into my home, an African American woman, took me out of my home, put me in jail for standing up for black people – on lynching,” said Hampton, who has developed a public presence not just at rallies, but also through speaking at city council meetings and other venues.

“Under the circumstances of that day, it was apparent to me it was an intimidation tactic.”

An activist is born

Hampton attended her first protest in the summer of 2014 – a pro-Palestine event where she quickly found herself on the bullhorn, which is now a common practice for her at rallies, where she often leads chants. But it wasn’t until her brother went to Ferguson, Missouri that fall, after the Michael Brown verdict and as part of an Answer coalition, that she began to be active in the Black Lives Matter movement.

“A lot of the passion I have is also fear for my loved ones and for my own life and for people around me,” she said. “When [Sale] was in Ferguson, one of the members of Answer sent out like an alert, like: ‘Our comrades in Ferguson are being attacked by the police right now.’ So seeing that, not only is he a comrade but he’s my brother.

“You know, it’s like he could have been Mike Brown. So that fear really motivated me to really get the most involved that I could be.”

Parisi said she was “optimistic that we will arrive at a resolution” to Hampton’s case that involves removing the felony charge, though no negotiations with the district attorney had yet taken place, she added.

Hampton remains committed to her activism. When she was released from jail, she came out to find more than two dozen supporters waiting to greet her.

“That feeling was – it was really unexplainable,” she said. “It really just brought me to tears. Seeing that really made being an activist and being an organizer ... it all makes sense of why I am out here doing what I do.”

 

 

Source: The Guardian                

 

 

UPDATE: 5/9/15 While in attendance at the Mother's Day Forum via W.O.R.D (San Francisco), where Maile was honored for her courgae and activism, she also spoke about her case and how the charges were recently dropped!!!                                                                                                         

fifty shades of explicit reason...

I actually saw the movie [1]Fifty Shades of Grey in theaters during its opening week and was overall satisfied with my general expectations after reading the books by EL James.

I was so excited to see this film that I even purchased advanced tickets which I never do for any movie so this was a huge deal and well worth it.

Though the casting of Ana and Christian was a bit odd at first, I like, most of the fans got used to the idea of Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan playing the roles of our leading characters. As a former Seattle resident, the area shots made me a tidbit homesick as I was reminded of why I initially want to escape there in my early twenties.

Now I could go on and on about how what if Ana was Black or Latina or Asian and became pregnant by Christian and he didn’t put a ring on it yet that isn’t what the books or the film is about. Overall I wasn’t disappointed by the screen adaptation, again because I read the books and was well aware of what type of film this was supposed to be…adult, kinky, sexy, witty, seductive, climatic and to bring specific types of sexual play to the forefront such as submissive/Dominant, master and slave and bondage. For those who are in these type of sub cultures or communities, those topic aren’t new but where have we seen this before and how and why in the hell would it be compared to abusive behavior???

There are a lot of levels to the ignorance of sexuality and who is allowed to do what with whom and when is it legal and when is it abuse. Who are the ones protesting and complaining simply because a film or a book or a song or a certain type of art work shows human diversity in regards to sex??? Are these really old folks who consider themselves traditional and staples of morality??? Are these men who don’t get pussy so they are angry at all women and are potential rapist or child molesters or are these women who have allowed themselves to be victims of married men and use their “beauty” as a means of financial stability yet have never had a satisfying relationship with anyone including a natural father-daughter bond???

With all those questions, is it really that deep??? I mean Ana is a submissive, her look is plain and even “ugly” to some standards of beauty (as I personally don’t find her to be an attractive female per my taste, my preference), she is not sexually experienced and generally considered a boring type who finds solace in Literary books and her basic type work (a clerk at a hardware store) who by chance happens to meet this dashing man by the name of Christian who exposes her to all sorts of SEX…that’s it. She and Christian shared an intense physical relationship as it was mutual and legal. Ana is not a prostitute nor is she a hoe however she may be labeled a jump-off cause that basically what that type of relationship is in modern types…commitment without commitment meaning the female is submissive and committee to the male while he still has the “freedom” to explore and live his “single” life, yes, that is what that means ladies and gents. So is it deep and when it’s over why can’t it just be over regardless of who said stop or timeout first??? Ana and Christian are not married and they have no children however this type of domestic situation isn’t unusual for any one group of people, keep it all the way real so are we going to be bringing religious beliefs into the equation??? If so, Ana is a whore and Christian is just being a man according to definition of sins.

The facts are: Christian did not rape Ana. Ana is not a minor. Christian and Anna are both adults and willingly engage in sexual play and full intercourse on numerous occasions without being drunk or high on drugs. Christian invited Ana to his home and Ana accepted to go. She accepted the car, the clothes and the laptop plus the dinner dates and the flights and everything that she was offered including dick. Ana allowed Christian to fuck her on numerous occasions without a clear understanding of their “relationship” and she did so without signing the written contract even after her and Christian made several addendums (please insert a smirk here, thx). And she still graduated…that’s a big one. Those are the facts. Now, it’s questionable if she was a virgin but only Ana and Christian would know that and maybe EL James because I never had any contact with her.

This is why those groups out there protesting should shut their face!!! If they want to protest a movie for depicting violence against women let’s start with [2]The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Again, I actually saw this film in the theaters and was very shocked and traumatized at the “rape scene” as a survivor of [sexual] abuse (which I have spoke out on before) and just as a human…I did not want to see that type of shit on a big scene…it was just gross….ewwwwww. Yes, I'm 35 and I still say "ewwwwww".

Like I said, as a female survivor who still enjoys engaging in sexual play , there are certain topics that I may feel some type of way about however I don’t project onto everyone and everything and I have clear distinctions of what is and what isn’t [sexual]abuse and Fifty Shades of Grey does not depict abuse. Now there may be some level of disrespect and overstepping set boundaries that was not addressed by Ana but nothing to warrant activist groups to protest. The film may or may not start a revolution about what it means to be a girlfriend, a submissive or to engage in pre-marital sex without being a parent but it is an eye-opening film that focuses on personal enjoyment and finding a mate that is compatible and just as freaky as you and who will accept all those “weirdo” intricacies that make you something worth it all. With all of that opinion…go see the movie and develop your own opinion about it.


References
[1] Fifty Shades of Grey
[2] The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

love your heart: february is american heart month!!!

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., for both men and women. Having a stroke isn't far behind. And each year, about 720,000 Americans will have a heart attack.

For the most part, cardiovascular disease - which includes heart disease and stroke - is liked to risk factors that are easy to identify. By knowing your risks and changing behaviors, it's most often preventable.

This month Personalabs is all about protecting our hearts in honor of American Heart Month. Save 15% off heart disease blood tests with promo code HEAR15 and get the peace of mind of knowing your heart is healthy, and if it isn't then you can make lifestyle changes to reduce your risks, before it is too late...love your heart!!!

happy holidays 2014

call to action: free marissa alexander

Green Afro Honey along with SisterHood, Inc mobilizes supporters through our grassroots efforts to impact various causes as volunteering (in-person and remotely) with organizations locally, nationally and internationally...

Here is our current list of action calls for 2014:

Free Marissa Alexander (organized by W.O.R.D)

Please see FREE MARISSA NOW and JUSTICE FOR MARISSA to support and make secure donations for Marissa Alexander and to help cover her legal expenses.

equality, diversity and justice: a word for women's equality day 2014

Reflecting back when Easy Bake Ovens, My Little Pony and Barbie were what girls were made of
Occupations like nurses, maids and secretaries were the only alternatives for being housewives and mothers and then feminism gave birth to votes and working women with 9 to 5 jobs just like the boys in blue collar suits…

Women’s Equality Day is not about “being a woman” it’s about equality, diversity and [social] justice. 8 years, 4 months and 3 days before I was born, congress member Bella Abzug dubbed the date Women’s Equality Day to commemorate the 1920 passage of the 19th amendment to the U.S. constitution granting women the right to vote. That was on August 26th 1971. It has been 43 years of celebrating equality and today in 2014 we continue to appreciate and cultivate progress for this struggle for women’s rights dating back to 1848.

Today as we’re gathered here in San Francisco basking in unity and peace, look around and witness our equality. The white and black, red and brown, yellow, tan and orange. A melting pot of homemade multicultural-ness and diversity. Today, we share this anniversary with our sisters and brothers in spirit. Regardless of age, sexual orientation, gender identification, wealth, health, education, political affiliation or choice of occupation, today at this very moment, we are simply equal.

As humans but specifically as women, we deserve to be seen and heard for our contributions to society, our global community. I speak now of our sister Marissa Alexander in Florida. Where is her equality? Where is her justice? Marissa is a working mother who fired a warning shot at the ceiling to protect herself from being brutally attacked by her ex domestic partner. As a result Marissa was jailed and is facing a 60 year prison sentence per Florida State law. The Stand Your Ground Law did not work in her favor as it did George Zimmerman who shot and killed 17 year old Trayvon Martin.

I’m outraged by this and I don’t even know Marissa personally however her case and the specific details of her charges just serves as a reminder that this struggle for equality especially within our judicial system is far from over…for any of us. If you are not familiar with the Marissa Alexander’s case, I urge you to look it up, logon to defendwomensrights.org and join the fight for justice. Thank you!



“Equality, Diversity & Justice: A Word for Women’s Equality Day” written
by Kesha Johnson-Clark © 2014
Kesha is a W.O.R.D organizer with the San Francisco, California chapter