The Brown Girls Do It Newsletter #2
We're here to share the work done by the amazing project Kids of Colour, talk about our on-screen obsessions and what you need to read this week!
Hey everyone,
We hope you’re all safe and well. We’ve been absolutely blown away by the response to our first newsletter. Thanks for all your kind words, we’re incredibly humbled to know that there are people out there reading this and getting something from it!
Lockdown has been extended here in the UK, and we’re hanging in there. We know by now that communities of colour across the world are more likely to be the worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether that’s because of the fact that our communities are over-represented in key work and more likely to be working at this difficult time; because we tend to live in multigenerational homes, making it harder to keep each other safe; or for other reasons we’ve yet to hear about, we’re not sure. But we’re sending our love and prayers to you and your families during this awful time.
It’s been a hard couple of weeks for anyone left-leaning in the UK (don’t worry, folks in the USA having to deal with Trump’s nonsense and Biden’s run for presidency, we see you and we feel you). The #LabourLeaks have shattered the faith that many had in our Labour Party, and the way Party staff treated black women especially. This kind of institutional misogynoir might not be surprising, but the details are horrific, and don’t worry, we’ll be having a rant on an episode about the whole fiasco soon. For now, we just want you to know that it’s ok to be outraged. We certainly are.
Last week, we asked you how we could help, how we could use our platform in a way that spotlighted the amazing work being done out there. This week we’re highlighting the amazing Kids of Colour, and if you have anything you’d like us to share next week, drop us an email at: browngirlsdoit@gmail.com.
Brown Girls Spotlights…Kids of Colour
Roxy Legane is founder of Kids of Colour, an amazing Manchester-based project supporting young people of colour exploring race, identity and culture, and challenging the everyday, institutionalised racism that shapes their lives. We asked her what Kids of Colour is up to during the ongoing pandemic:
“Like many other projects, our work has had to change slightly due to Covid-19. However, there are still lots of ways to get involved with Kids of Colour. We have started a blog page, and are looking for young people and young adults of colour to contribute blogs that explore topics to do with race, identity culture (we are also offering a small fee for your time) - you don't have to be the best writer, we can help you there.
We have made home activity packs that can be posted out for young people of all races aged 16 and under. Finally, for now, our August summer school is still going ahead. If you are a young person aged 12-17 from Greater Manchester and want more information, get in touch!”
Find Kids of Colour on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@kidsofcolourhq) and at http://kidsofcolour.com. If you'd like to donate to Kids of Colour, visit their JustGiving page.
We also interviewed Roxy a while back for the podcast, so here’s a cheeky link to that episode right here:
Brown Girls Do It Recommends…
If you’ve got some time on your hands during lockdown, and you’d like some ideas of what to read, watch, or listen to, you’re in luck, because we have some stellar recommendations for you!
Brown Girls Do Books
“I am a sucker for romance books and all the tropes that come with them. Friends to lovers, love it. Enemies to lovers, even better. Fake relationships, I am here for it. It was the natural progression from the avid fanfiction reading that took place in my younger years. I find them to be a nice break from some of the heavier books I have. And this brings me to The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory. I didn’t put it down because I was so sucked in to Alexa and Drew’s world and the whirlwind that was their romance. We love to see a Black woman starring in her own charming story with a guaranteed happy ending, it’s what we deserve. Without spoiling too much, I will leave you with a little summary (a groomsman and his last-minute guest are about to discover if a fake date can go the distance) and the fact that Roxanne Gay gave it 5 stars on Goodreads. Oh, and it’s the first in a series of five that I am still to get my teeth stuck into!”
Alicia
“I’ve been trying to take some time to read the feminist works for women of colour, and I’m so glad I finally got round to reading this collection of essays by bell hooks. It’s a really great set of ruminations on class and poverty - she uses her own experiences to talk about the nature of class in America, and the assumptions we have about poverty. I can’t recommend it enough, especially if you want an accessible feminist text.”
Iqra
Brown Girls Do TV & Film
“I have a tendency to only watch films once even if I LOVE them. It’s not a hard and fast rule but I tend to follow it more often than not, apart from that time when I watched the RENT movie everyday for a week - strange times.
However, in these times I find myself craving films that are sort of familiar. I don’t want to deal with new dramatic twists and turns, I want to stick to the lakes and rivers I’m (sort of) used to.
So my recommendations this week are CREED and CREED II, the Rocky spin-off franchise. These films are packed with talent. Created by Ryan Coogler, director of Black Panther and Fruitvale Station, starring Michael B Jordan AND Tessa Thompson… you’re welcome. I won’t lie, I haven’t seen the Rocky films. They never really appealed to me but the CREED films feel like they are for me. They’re focused on boxing but they also focus on family drama and character growth and, trust me, they do the dramatic element really well. Sylvester Stallone really delivers as an older Rocky, particularly in the first one which he won a Golden Globe for. While I was initially drawn to these films by my husband in my head, and his muscles, I stayed for characters and the story.”
Alicia
“Something I’m loving at the moment is Shrill, which is based on Lindy West’s book of the same name. It’s a fantastic show which explores the way society treats fat women. And Lolly Adefope is a treat in this too. There’s two seasons to catch up on, and each episode is short and sweet.”
Iqra
Brown Girls Do Music and Podcasts
“I’m back again with another mix of songs that I have been listening to this week. It’s been a pretty good week for me in terms of music, there’s been quite a few drops and I’ve made a few new discoveries.
New Album: dvsn– A Muse In Her Feelings
Smooth and silky RnB from the Canadian singer/producer duo. This whole album is right up my street, and the production sounds amazing. I’ve been playing it all week. Favourite song so far: No Good
New Song: Kelly Clarkson – I Dare You
“I Dare You” to tell me this doesn’t sound like a winning Eurovision song. I love it. This song is focus of her multi-language duets project, she teamed up with artists from around the world to create different versions of this song in different languages.
Other songs I’ve been listening to:
Black Coffee and David Guetta feat. Delilah Montagu – Drive
I tuned into the One World: Together At Home concert for like 10 minutes but I managed to hear this song before I dipped. It has such a summer vibe to it. It makes me want to drive around in the sun.
Picture This – Everything or Nothing/ Modern Love/ This Morning
I found these guys when they opened for the Jonas Brothers in February… remember February, it seems so long ago. They’re ‘alternative /indie pop’, I guess? I don’t know but they have bops so here you go!
Evelyn “Champagne” King – Love Come Down
I think 80’s music automatically takes me to my happy place, especially this song. It’s funky, it’s fun and it makes me want to throw a party just so I can play this song and get down on the dance floor.”
Alicia
“On the podcast front, I’ve recently started listening to ‘Yo, Is This Racist?’ and it is EXCELLENT. Two good friends sit and answer listeners calling in about awkward scenarios in their lives which may or may not be racist. It’s light-hearted and funny and also just a fantastic insight into how wild our understanding of race can be.”
Iqra
Brown Girls Do It Episode Update!
Have you listened to the latest episode? We talk about the origins of race science in the UK; why the British Museum is a symbol of the power inequalities that allowed race science to flourish in the UK; and how Angela Saini, the journalist who wrote the amazing Superior: The Return of Race Science, is dealing with all the racist backlash.
You can check the episode out here:
...or wherever you get your podcasts! We’re on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, PodBean, all the usual places.
Make sure you like or follow us on all the socials (just search @browngirlsdoit and you’ll find us) and tell all your friends about this newsletter, and stay safe!
All our love,
Alicia & Iqra