"Poor people fed up!" - Bounty Killer, Jamaican Reggae Artist.
The people have been fed up! The sentiment sits well with the stories within Issue #2. Stories from Black pioneers like Dapper Dan have significance in the trajectory of his past as a first-generation child of the Great Migration from the 'Deep' South to North-East of the United States of America. Furthermore, we seem to neglect the influence that Caribbean culture has had on popular culture; the reign of European nations like England, France, and Spain still loom, ironically - in the 'West Indian' islands. A blend of cultures leading to a new - the people of the Caribbean share the interest of the rest of the developed world, but suffer the brunt of a secondary existence.
The Caribbean islands are subject to natural disaster as much as human consumption-waste that litters the land and the surrounding sea. Often left to fend for themselves in those situations, they are subject to the finances of external sources in search and support of preserving a particular part of a considerable paradise, and all that comes with it.
The idea to seek paradise is benign but raises a conundrum. Who lives in Paradise? Our Issue #1 highlights how surfer Stephanie Gilmore had noticed the human-consumed plastic waste products in the South-East Asian region of the world where she would often surf for years into her adulthood. Issue #2, we dive into Caribbean natives Rushemy Botter of Curaçao, and Lisi Herrebrugh of the Dominican Republic. Both leading the design for BOTTER, a Parisian-based fashion line, and their efforts to find sustainable solutions. Using plastic they found and recycled for the first collection has now served as a foundation for the brand and a couple an effort to save the coral reefs.
It is evident that Black-African culture has evolved beyond its infamous shorelines and is regenerating - the story of Black life. We watched an entire year of protest for the lives and livelihoods of Black people, not just in America, but for every nation. We are weathering a biological storm known as COVID-19. We have come to terms with the fact that human impact on the planet is unavoidable. It's a vital point of interest for survival. Finding solutions for our overall safety, we are rejecting norms for the time. Creating new normals in place of outdated habits.
- Cassell Ferere, Editor-in-Chief
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