AphroChic Media

Issue No. 18 is here! In this issue, we hope that your spirit is moved when you read our cover story about Davóne Tines, his band, The Truth, and their new album, ROBESOИ. We hope you feel inspired when reading about Brittney Ifememi’s brand, Ifsthetic, that’s inspired by her Nigerian American heritage. In culture, we hope you are moved to learn more about the Black experience in the Middle East, in the piece on NRTVE. And in food, we hope you’ll enjoy bringing Rahanna Bisseret Martinez’s delicious Masa Doughnuts with Early Grey Glaze recipe to life in your own kitchen. In this issue we also take you through the Moorish history of Portugal, into the deep historical significance of Watch Night and Freedom’s Eve, and our gift guide has some of our favorite pieces from the new AphroChic catalog that are sure to help you bring comfort, peace and style home for you and all you hold dear this season. It’s no question that things have been hard these past four years, and our world ever more chaotic. But we hope this issue helps you see that there is hope, in the form of community, togetherness, and the celebration of our shared culture: https://lnkd.in/exBcqX2i #blackculture #aphrochic #blackmedia #magazine

Two years ago today APHROCHIC: Celebrating the Legacy of the Black Family Home was published. The story of the Black family home is one of cultural resilience. Among beautiful house tours the stories of Black families who re-shaped their own realities emerge. Each story an incredible reminder of the journey home for African Americans in a nation built on our labor, our culture, and our lives. Flipping through the pages you come to understand the steps that Black people have taken to create home in America, and that, since 1619, despite all that this country has tried to do to diminish our contributions, erase us from history, make us feel lesser, we are still here. And not only are we here - we are resilient, creating ways to thrive, build, survive, and architect freedom and liberation in America and around the world. Learn more about our book dedicated to the Black family home: https://lnkd.in/eNSMuWdZ #aphrochic #blackfamilyhome #blackauthors #blackhistory

“That is how Black joy works. It consistently runs alongside the suffering, pain, trials, and tribulations that we have endured throughout history and that we endure today. It's a battery in our backs that recharges and powers us through the worst obstacles we face. And then, at the moment of overcoming an obstacle, Black joy is there to celebrate the feat. It is one of our most key, yet unexamined, tools for surviving this world. In every way, Black joy is restorative, regenerative, and generous. It offers the opportunity to go beyond the shallow waters of happiness-a temporary feeling that relies on circumstances outside of ourselves-into the depths and complexity of an emotion and way of being that comes from within and connects us to ourselves as well as the communities of which we are a part.” These words were written by Kleaver Cruz for chapter 1 of The Black Joy Project. The Black Joy Project is a book we desperately need today, as anti-blackness gains new traction in governments and institutions around the world, and Black souls grow weary knowing we have to gear up for new fights against fascism, genocide, and widespread discrimination. A much-needed balm for an unsure moment, we’ll be sitting down with Kleaver to discuss the roots of Black joy and the inspiration for their book, the power of ancestral joy, and how our joy is the revolutionary act that we need in this moment. Join us November 19th at 7pm EST for An Evening With AphroChic and Kleaver Cruz as we dig into The Black Joy Project. Watch live at AphroChic.com, or on Instagram, Facebook or YouTube. And get your copy of The Black Joy Project in our shop. #aphrochic #blackjoy #booktalk

Earlier this year we re-launched AphroChic as a global media and design brand focused on shining a light on authentic stories from across the African Diaspora. Since our re-launch, we have published issues of the magazine each quarter, created AphroChicTV, launched a new series - An Evening With AphroChic - and expanded our product line, working closely with Black artists and artisans from across the globe. And we are just getting started. AphroChic has been designed to be a virtual home for the African Diaspora. As we wrote in our book on the Black family home, home is a place where we are safe, recognized, celebrated, where memory lives and we are in control of our destinies. Recent events in the United States have left us all deeply troubled, and many of us are wondering how we can be at home in our country or anywhere around the globe. While we are upset, we are not discouraged. AphroChic will continue to bring you content that will highlight, uplift and empower our community. Digital issues of our magazine will continue to be free so that you can access important articles on civics and new Black scholarship. We will be growing our book shop to include more books by Black authors, continuing to encourage the representation of Black thought. And AphroChicTV content will expand, offering important conversations that will help us radically re-imagine our world and the role of our Diaspora in it. As African Americans, and members of the African Diaspora, we hold dearly to the principles of freedom and liberty that our ancestors worked so hard to create and preserve. And as one of the few Black-owned media brands in the United States, we understand the work in front of us. We are thankful for all those who have come before us in doing this work, giving us blueprints on how to write about and survive such a time. And we look to their examples as we seek to navigate the obstacles to come. AphroChic is a virtual home for the African Diaspora where you can read about the topics that matter, learn about the activists who are fighting for the culture, be soothed by the music of our Diaspora and be inspired by beautiful portraits of Black life, while watching intimate conversations with thought leaders from the community. This is your home and you will always be welcome here. In Solidarity Always, J&B #aphrochic #blackmedia

Today we’re celebrating the book that started it all - REMIX: Decorating with Culture, Objects and Soul. REMIX was published on November 5, 2013. When it came out, it was the first book in over a decade to look at design through an African American lens. Eleven years later, and we continue to hear from so many of you who have used REMIX to design your interior and bring authentic culture home. We are so happy to have contributed to the culture a book that has helped people create home, and we’re thrilled to see that the cannon of Black design books has expanded immensely since REMIX was published. You can find REMIX in our shop at AphroChic.com: https://lnkd.in/ghXNtT-P #aphrochic #blackauthors #interiordesign #homedecor

We have some great news to share! We are so very proud to have contributed to the upcoming book - Making Home: Belonging, Memory, and Utopia in the 21st Century. Our essay - The Hard Work of Forgetting: The Black Family Home and the Two Sides of American Memory - is part of this brilliant companion piece to the exhibition - Making Home: Smithsonian Design Triennial, on view at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum from November 2, 2024 to August 10 2025. We are honored to share our thoughts on the Black family home and its place in American memory, and to be included among a host of contributors including, Roxane Gay, and Curry Hackett. We give our endless thanks to Michelle Joan Wilkinson, co-editor and co-curator of the exhibit, for asking us to contribute. The exhibition opened this past weekend and we encourage you to see it if you’re in New York. The book is now available for pre-order at AphroChic.com: https://lnkd.in/eDx7AZFT #aphrochic #blackauthors #smithsonian

AphroChicTV has arrived! Head to our website to stream the culture, watch live events, house tours, entertaining videos and original films that celebrate Black life. Watch on demand, AirPlay to your television, use closed captions, or read the transcript - whatever works best for you. And be sure to check out episodes of our new original series - An Evening with AphroChic: https://lnkd.in/eqi7_b2y #aphrochic #streaming #blackmedia

At AphroChic we believe in democracy and the right to vote. As early voting begins, if you’re not sure about where your polling location is, the status of your registration, and if you experience issues at the polls please visit When We All Vote founded by Michelle Obama for resources and assistance. And if you live in a swing state, don’t be surprised if you hear from our founders, Jeanine and Bryan, who will be volunteering and making calls to rock the vote for the presidential election! #aphrochic #vote

In building a virtual home for the African Diaspora, we are creating new programming to ensure that Black voices are heard and uplifted. That’s the purpose of An Evening with AphroChic - our first original series for AphroChicTV, where we sit down with Black creatives to learn about their latest work and their journey. Tonight, we invite you to join us live as we sit down with Rebecca Walker, author and producer, to discuss her first children’s book - Time For Us. We can’t wait to learn about Rebecca’s journey and how it led her to creating this beautiful book. Join us tonight at 7pm EST live on our website at AphroChicTV, or on Facebook, Instagram or here on LinkedIn. And after our talk be sure to visit the AphroChic shop to purchase a copy of Rebecca’s book: https://lnkd.in/eqi7_b2y #aphrochic #childrensbook #authortalk

Join us this Thursday for an author talk with Rebecca Walker, best-selling writer, producer and cultural catalyst. On our new series, An Evening with AphroChic, we’ll be speaking with Rebecca about her debut children’s book - Time For Us. Drawing on her own personal experience of being a mother to her son, Tenzin, this charming book draws on the theory that just 20 minutes of quality time a day between caregiver and child nurtures and benefits their relationship in many different ways. This event is free for all to enjoy as part of AphroChic’s commitment to offering accessible community events for the African Diaspora. Watch live on AphroChicTV, or @aphrochic on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn. And purchase a copy of Time For Us in the AphroChic shop. Register to attend: https://lnkd.in/exZxaFQq #authortalk #bookstagram #aphrochic