She Invented a Comb for "Afro Hair"

An excerpt from AfroTech - 

This Engineer Invented A Comb For 'Afro Hair' — Now, She's Working On Getting More Black Women Into Her Field

By Samantha Dorisca

Photo credit:  BBC

United Kingdom-based engineer Youmna Mouhamad has created a tool catered specifically for Black women by a Black woman.

Mouhamad’s inception of the Nyfasi Deluxe Detangler bloomed when she worked as a nanny while studying to earn her Ph.D. in physics, BBC reports.

As she watched a young girl’s hair get washed and conditioned, the child’s eyes began to fill with tears due to the experience. This moment would cause Mouhamad to embrace a new academic journey and switch to studying engineering.

“I shifted to engineering because I always had a desire to work on things that I can touch with my hands, and I love the process of taking an idea and actually creating something,” Mouhamad says to BBC.

To bring her vision to life, Mouhamad would attend an enterprise fellowship at the Royal Academy of Engineering. Here, she was able to create a focus group to develop an effective product pooling adolescent girls and women to test the prototype, which provided stellar reviews.

https://afrotech.com/youmna-mouhamad

Phillis Wheatley: Crash Course Black American History #7

https://youtu.be/a3l9Pmza7Gs

Kane Brown, H.E.R. - Blessed & Free (Official Video)

https://youtu.be/dNim8ChJyI0

Retired FBI boss finds new career driving a school bus

https://youtu.be/qKCCPlZU8QU

Detroit's Comeback Linked to Restoring It's Only HBCU

From Yahoo News - 

Detroit's comeback efforts linked to an 85-year-old HBCU making a return of its own

By Marquise Francis

Dr. D’Wayne Edwards in front of what used to be the
Lewis College of Business in Detroit.
(Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design)

The Lewis College of Business in Detroit had been Michigan’s only historically Black college or university (HBCU) for more than seven decades before it was shuttered in 2013 due to financial hardship and a steep decline in enrollment. But eight years after closing, the school is set to make a return — only this time under a slightly new name and an entirely new mission.

Former Air Jordan designer Dr. D’Wayne Edwards is refounding the school as the Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design with an all-around focus on design, a nod to the Pensole Design Academy he founded in 2010, the country’s first academy dedicated to footwear design.

“Of the HBCUs that are in existence today, very few of them have a focus on design,” Edwards told Yahoo News. “We hope what we’re doing by reestablishing Lewis College is that it’ll help people look at Detroit as an epicenter for creativity and design.”

The Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design will be the first HBCU to focus solely on design — from footwear to furniture and packaging — and will offer students both two-year and four-year degrees, as well as special certificates, working directly with corporate partners to help students’ transition into careers after graduation.

Edwards said he wants to provide opportunities for the city of Detroit and Black youth. More than three decades ago, he said, he was only the second Black footwear designer in the entire footwear industry. Today there are fewer than 200 globally, and across the design industry as a whole, Black people make up less than 4 percent.

https://news.yahoo.com/detroits-comeback-efforts-linked-to-an-85-year-old-hbcu-making-a-return-of-its-own-211113117.html

The Top Ten Inventions That Changed the World - Agree?

From Teal Tango - 

Top 10 Inventions That Changed the World

By Archana Kabra

https://www.thetealmango.com/featured/top-inventions-that-changed-the-world/

Maliya Kabs is BACK with the oldskool vibes! 🎶

https://youtu.be/GXG9WVXBbus

Stanford researchers build self-navigating smart cane for the visually i...

https://youtu.be/N8JZXI2oyqk

The older guy didn’t think I could pull off a Sam Cooke song #IG Officia...

https://youtu.be/YAI6oPuqpN0

The fight against seat belts 1984

https://youtu.be/glmcMeTVIIQ

Passing | Official Trailer | Netflix

https://youtu.be/trwq3CNCMkU

He Turned his Passion Into Business

From Kulture Hub - 

How Maori artist Sam Mangakahia turned his passion into a successful business

https://kulturehub.com/sam-mangakahia-art-passion-into-business/

Abraham, Martin & John

https://youtu.be/bOfY_4zbV_k

A Symphony of Soul

From UDiscoverMusic - 

Motown Gems Reimagined On ‘A Symphony Of Soul‘ With Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

The set is introduced by Marvin Gaye’s ‘Abraham Martin & John,’ featuring new, additional vocals by Beverley Knight.

By Paul Sexton

Two tracks also feature newly-recorded vocals by distinguished British soul stars Mica Paris, who accompanies Jimmy Ruffin on his 1966 classic “What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted,” and Beverley Knight, who sings alongside Marvin Gaye on his 1969 version of “Abraham Martin & John.”

The album was recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Mark Knopfler’s British Grove Studios in west London. A Symphony of Soul complements the musicality of the songs with an orchestral backdrop set against the original vocal stems and parts, typically recorded on a mere four tracks compared to the almost limitless number available in modern recording. The treatments thus add a new layer to these timeless songs while remaining faithful to the beauty of the originals.

Pre-order A Symphony Of Soul, which is released on November 19.

The full A Symphony Of Soul tracklist is:

1. Dancing In The Street – Martha Reeves & The Vandellas

2. Reach Out I’ll Be There – The Four Tops

3. I Heard It Through The Grapevine – Marvin Gaye

4. What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted – Jimmy Ruffin with Mica Paris

5. The Tears Of A Clown – Smokey Robinson & the Miracles

6. I’ll Be There – The Jackson 5

7. I Hear A Symphony – The Supremes

8. Abraham, Martin & John – Marvin Gaye with Beverley Knight

9. My Girl – The Temptations

10. Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) – The Temptations

11. With You I’m Born Again – Billy Preston & Syreeta

https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/motown-symphony-of-soul-royal-philharmonic/

Worst Best Oscar Snubs. I Agree With Number 4, 5, and 23.

From WorkandMoney - 

Worst Best Picture Snubs in Oscar History

By Tony Adame

The Academy Awards represent the pinnacle of what a movie can be. Since 1927, they've awarded statuettes to the best moviemaking every year. But in that time, they've made some mistakes.

None of those mistakes are more visible than when there's a big miss on the final award of the night — Best Picture. Whether it's politics or recency bias or whatever excuse you want to make for Academy Award voters, these are the worst Best Picture snubs in the history of the Oscars. 

23. Pulp Fiction (1994)

90srandomstuff/Twitter

Oscar year: 1995

Best Picture winner: Forrest Gump

Best Picture nominees: Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Quiz Show, The Shawshank Redemption

Best Director winner: Robert Zemeckis, Forrest Gump

Bottom line: It's not every year you get three of the most beloved films of all time in a single Best Picture category, but that's what we got in 1994, with "Forrest Gump" winning Best Actor (Tom Hanks), Best Director (Robert Zemeckis) and Best Picture. 

No offense to "Gump" fans. It was the third-best movie on the list of classics behind "The Shawshank Redemption" and Quentin Tarantino's breakthrough film "Pulp Fiction" for which he won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar. 

https://www.workandmoney.com/s/worst-best-picture-snubs-oscars-ab31fbe6195c4f24

Black-Owned Food & Beverage Brands

An excerpt from Pure Wow - 

20 Black Women-Owned Food & Beverage Brands That Belong in Your Kitchen

By Nakeisha Campbell 

Project Pop

1. PROJECT POP

Founder: Chauniqua Major-Louis

Based in Orlando, Florida, Project Pop offers a fresh take on kettle corn by using all vegan and organic ingredients—but without sacrificing flavor. Per the official website, their recipes typically include a touch of vegan cane sugar and Himalayan pink salt for a balanced flavor profile.

https://eatprojectpop.com/collections/all

Iya Foods

2. IYA FOODS

Founder: Toyin Kolawole

With products like cassava pancake mix, plantain flour and jollof rice seasoning, Iya Foods can help you add a bit of West African flavor to any traditional American meal. While speaking with Forbes about the meaning behind her brand’s name, Kolawole, said, “Iya means ‘mother’ in Yoruba...Our name pays homage to mothers everywhere. It reminds me of those three words, ‘Have you eaten?’ The ultimate expression of a mother’s love.”

https://www.iyafoods.com/

https://www.purewow.com/food/black-women-owned-food-beverage-brands

Is the Coast Clear?

 

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A post shared by Eugene Tukei (@eugenetukei)

https://www.hindustantimes.com/trending/kids-gesture-before-spilling-milk-from-bottle-leaves-people-in-splits-watch-101634650987937.html 

Support Native-Owned Brands

From USA Today - 

15 Native-owned brands to support for Indigenous Peoples' Day

By Marah Eakin Reviewed 

15 Native-owned brands to support for Indigenous Peoples' Day
Thunder Voice Hat Co/8th Generation

October 11 is widely recognized as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. A holiday meant to honor and bring awareness to Native communities, Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a great reminder to support the Native people that live, work and create all over North America. 

To celebrate the holiday, we've rounded up 15 Native retailers you can support, from moccasin makers to beauty brands. These creators and curators both celebrate and preserve Indigenous peoples’ long history of creativity and culture—and you can shop them all right now.

1. TP Mocs

Indigenous-owned brands 2021:  TP Mocs / TP Mocs

A Blackfoot owned-company working toward alleviating poverty in Native communities, TP Mocs employs Native Americans to handcraft all of its adorable and durable children’s moccasins. A portion of the proceeds from all sales goes to purchasing necessities for underprivileged children living on reservations.

Indigenous-owned brands 2021:  B. Yellowtail / B. Yellowtail

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/reviewed/2021/10/11/native-owned-brands-support-indigenous-peoples-day/6083853001/

Native American Inventions

An excerpt from Buzzfeed - 

Here Are 17 Extremely Necessary Items You Can Thank Indigenous People For Inventing

You'll be surprised how animal bladders were used.

by Andria Moore

1. The kayak

Buyenlarge / Getty Images

2. Rubber

Glsolcam / Getty Images

https://www.buzzfeed.com/andriamoore/indigenous-people-inventions

Native Americans: Things We Didn't Learn in School

 An excerpt from Buzzfeed - 

20 Interesting Historical Facts About Native Americans That We Never Got To Learn About In School

These contributions and sacrifices by Native Americans deserve to be recognized!

By Simrin Singh

1. The sequoia tree is named after the Cherokee leader Sequoyah, who helped create an alphabet for his people to use.

George Rose / Getty Images

2. Many words, such as "chipmunk," "pecan," and "skunk," come from an Algonquian language.

When the English explorers arrived in North America, they largely interacted with Native people who spoke an Algonquian language, and as a result, several of their words were adopted into English vocabulary. Other English words with Native American origins include "chocolate," "potato," and "poncho."

https://www.buzzfeed.com/simrinsingh/interesting-facts-from-indigenous-history