Visible Figures - Volume #10
SVP hosts Walk-Ins Welcome, Fawn Weaver gets Real, and HBD to PM Mia Mottley!
Hi! šš¾Sorry Iām late! August was a tripāseveral trips (Bridgetown, Oak Bluffs, Brooklyn, and Black Rock Cityš„). September ghosted me like a BLM ally (hello, you still there?). Nonetheless, Iām walking into October likeā¦
I turn 40 in two weeks. Picture for attention. š
Iām not in much of a celebratory mood. Life if lifinā. Iāll spare you the gory details until the memoir drops. If you too are in a challenging seasonā¦
Be kind to yourself. This too shall pass.
When it does (and trust me, it will), your future self will reward you for being healthy enough to keep moving.
If you want to commiserate, collaborate, conversate, or just listen while staying off video and on mute š join me and other like-hearted human beings next Wednesday night (10/9) @ 9PM ET/6PM PT for the first of what I hope will be many:
Walk-Ins Welcome with Visible Figures. RSVP
What Iām Podcasting: Soul Salon: comparison is (not) the thief of joy by Ayandastood. āā¦what does the idea that we just "shouldn't" compare ourselves to each other ignore, and in turn, normalize?ā
What Iām Watching: The American Society of Magical Negroes starring Justice Smith A showcase of centering White American anxiety as a means to be collectively less victimized by it.
Love Always Wins,
Maji Moment š
*Trigger Warning* This video touches on suicide and childhood trauma and is by far the most vulnerable profile Iāve ever seen of the indomitable Fawn Weaver.
Things You Should Know š
MacArthur Foundation announced 22 āGenius Grantsā this year, four of which are awarded to Black women. MacArthur Fellows receive $800K across 5 years to advance their work. Congratulations to Ebony Patterson (artist), Dorothy Roberts (scholar), Jennifer Morgan (historian), and my personal favorite, Ruha Benjamin (scholar) who gave Princeton University a digital f*ck you in response to their announcement of her honor. āš¾
Kara Walkerās next grand exhibit Fortuna and the Immortality Garden (Machine) will be hosted at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) until Spring 2026. Known for the large scale Sugar Baby exhibit in Brooklyn 2014, Walker has ascended to kinetics with this dynamic representation of a post-humanist, feminist, technocratic past and future. Iām there.
Prime Minister Mia Mottley who just spoke at the UN General Assembly last week turned 59 years old yesterday. HAPPY YOUNG BIRTHDAY, MIA š!! Visible Figures had the great honor of commissioning a portrait of PM Mottley by world-renowned master of painting, portraiture, and sculpture, Gale Fulton Ross. Ross (age 77) was an absolute delight to work with. She has immortalized the greats. The Prime Ministerās portrait was delivered to her at Illaro Court in Bridgetown, Barbados by yours truly. An absolute dream come true!
A Stat to Remember šš¾
In 2016, during Donald Trumpās first bid for presidency, 98% of Black women voted for Hilary Clinton, far greater than any other validated demographically tracked voting bloc.