Culture
Ms. Cappie’s Cookies: Food For Thought~ Arts, Spirituality, and Community
This past weekend Ms. Cappie’s Cookies (More than just cookies!) attended great events.
This past weekend Ms. Cappie’s Cookies (More than just cookies!) attended great events.
My first stop was the Brookdale Community College
I was invited by a friend to provide healthy treats with a vendor opportunity to attend the NJ Christian Artists Gathering: Shaken & Stirred. The Gathering included guest artist, panel discussions, table-talk, teachings, and networking. Learning to create and build together in our community artistically. I was very excited to see the admiration for the arts that included but wasn’t limited to writers, actors,dancers, painters, graphic design, prophetic arts, fashion design and more. There is a deep connection with spirituality and artistic gifts. This gathering focused on learning new spiritual and practical skills, growing in your spiritual journey, having the freedom to connect with the Creator with your creative art, and building a network to impact the community through the arts.
As I sat through the panel discussion I began to think about the children in our community, who have not been exposed to this information that was discussed there.
Next door you can hear a worship and dance class that was being given for children ages 6-12. You could hear movement, the sound of drums, and instruction.
I was excited for those children next door because they were given the freedom and knowledge of information to express themselves spiritually through the arts.
My hope is that they would take what they learned to other children they knew when they returned to their neighborhoods. There is a lack of awareness in our community of the arts and the spiritual connection. It would have been a sight to see a room filled with children having fun and learning together artistically. I thought about our community churches, schools, and organizations and how they would greatly benefit by including these diverse arts together.
The Arts are spiritually healing to our souls and is very therapeutic. It is very much-needed in communities where there is lack of hope, poverty, poor education, and disparity.
Yet it is not being utilized to its’ fullest capacity in our homes, community churches, schools, and organizations. We must embrace the arts and guide our youth in our community to positive expressions for our future. If they are not exposed to this at home, in church, or in school, where will they learn positive expression? How will they know what their gift or talent is?
We are all born with a gift or talent that the Creator has given each of us to share with the world and give back to the Universe. Thus, we are all connected and need one another to survive. If our youth grow up not knowing who they are and what gifts and talents they poses, it will affect us all. They will be adults (us) one day. We must make a choice to embrace the arts and expose them to our children and communities to help heal our disparities. When, how, and where is up to All of Us.
For more information on the NJ Christian Gathering: Shaken & Stirred please see the website at: masterfullmovement.com
Black Excellence
Inside the 17th Annual ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood® Awards
Hosted by Clifford “Method Man” Smith, the star studded event premiered March 15, exclusively on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).
Get a look inside the 17th Annual ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards.
Hosted by Clifford “Method Man” Smith, the star studded event premiered March 15, exclusively on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).
About ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards
The ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood honors women who are making their undeniable mark in film and television and amplifies their strides in defining what it means to be a Black woman in Hollywood.
Honorees
This year’s honorees and entertainment industry trailblazers include Academy Award nominated actress & Grammy Award winner, Danielle Brooks, six-time Grammy nominated singer and leading-actress Halle Bailey, acclaimed screenwriter and showrunner of All American, All American: Homecoming and Found, Nkechi Okoro Carroll, and industry powerhouse & President of Original Programming for STARZ, Kathryn Busby.
Check out some photo highlights inside the 17th ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards
For more, please visit http://www.essence.com/bwih2024
Culture
U.S. Virgin Islands Announces the Performance Line-up for St. Thomas Carnival Village Featuring Shaggy, Sizzla, Patrice Roberts, and Machel Montano
The Village will be headlined by Caribbean superstars Shaggy, Patrice Roberts, Sizzla Kalonji, Kes, and Machel Montano, who will kick off the six-night free Village concerts on Monday, April 29.
The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism and Division of Festivals has announced the performance line-up for the 72nd Annual St. Thomas Carnival Village.
72nd Annual St. Thomas Carnival Village
The Village will be headlined by Caribbean superstars Shaggy, Patrice Roberts, Sizzla Kalonji, Kes, and Machel Montano, who will kick off the six-night free Village concerts on Monday, April 29.
“The anticipation around this year’s St. Thomas Carnival is at an all-time high, and the Village night performers reflect the continued influence and growth of our territory’s three carnivals,” exclaims USVI Department of Tourism Commissioner Joseph Boschulte.
Center Stage
Adam O, Rudy Live, Temisha, Karnage, Blind Earz, VIO International, and Spectrum Band are among the performers who will take center stage to represent the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“Every year, our goal is to pay homage to the vast Virgin Islands and Caribbean culture that is at the cornerstone of these annual celebrations for natives and visitors alike,” added USVI Division of Festivals Director Ian Turnbull.
Haitian kompa band VAYB and Dominican salsa orchestra Chiquito Team Band will provide a cross-cultural immersion of sound, highlighting the diverse musical interests of Virgin Islands residents.
First-time performers
Rounding out the village are a few first-time performers in the territory, including TeeJay, Jada Kingdom, and Kollision Band, and returning favorites Edwin Yearwood and Krosfyah, and Grandmasters.
Kids Night Out Village Night
This year, the Division of Festivals will host its first Kids Night Out Village Night, with activities including the Toddlers Derby, Best Dressed Doll, and performances by TMK and OTB.
More information on 72nd Annual St. Thomas Carnival Village
For up-to-date information about the 72nd Annual St. Thomas Carnival, visit https://www.instagram.com/usvifestivals/.
Culture
Online romances get a dose of reality in OWN’S all-new love & relationship series ‘The Never Ever Mets’
Hosted by Ta’Rhonda Jones, this 10-episode series features seven couples who have been virtually dating for some time and believe they may have found lasting love – only they have never met each other in person.
OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network has announced an all-new relationship series that takes online dating into the real world, The Never Ever Mets.
About The Never Ever Mets Series
Hosted by Ta’Rhonda Jones, this 10-episode series features seven couples who have been virtually dating for some time and believe they may have found lasting love – only they have never met each other in person! Now, they’re meeting face-to-face for the very first time and sharing a house together for three weeks to see if their internet love can survive off the screen and in real life.
Synopsis
As all seven couples convene under the same roof, dating in person rather than through their computers or phones quickly proves to be the biggest challenge yet.
While many couples have been years in the making, some quickly find the in-person relationship is not what they anticipated.
To test the strength of their love connections, the group participates in a series of fun and flirty relationship activities, couples therapy and for some, a trip to the “boom boom room.” But visits from discerning loved ones, meddling opinions and tension from others in the house challenge their bonds even further. At the end of their stay, some will go home together…and some will be signing off for good.
Premiere
The series premieres on Friday, April 19 at 8pm ET/PT, on the OWN Network.
Check out the trailer below:
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