Obama Skirt Project

CELEBRATE “BLACK PRESIDENT’S DAY WEEKEND” WITH THE OBAMA SKIRT PROJECT

We’ve officially declared Feb 19-21 Black President’s Day Weekend and have a host of events to celebrate! Events start daily at 12pm @ Harlem Textile Works:

• Make a limited edition “2011 Black President’s Day” Obama Skirt
• Shop with the Obama Skirt Project Fashion designers
• Attend a special workshop for Nina Simone’s birthday

Click here for schedule & directions

Can’t make it to Harlem? Order your limited edition Obama skirt shipped in the mail here https://2011blackpresidentsdaysale.eventbrite.com

Today’s the day!

Round 2 of the Obama Skirt Project (Official title: From Here I Saw What Happened And I Could Not Understand) starts today. In fact, it’s going on right now :) I am stuck in my apartment with a stomach flu or some yucky bug… But despite this, all continues to work out well. Last night, my neighbor just happened to be at Wunmi’s studio and was able to bring back my round 2 dress :) the last woman to join, Tramaine just happened to be riding over this way and my kanga dress just happened to fit her :) Lisa volunteered to take photos, but most of the women have found someone to do it for them. And in a fit of common sense, I scheduled our meet and greet @ the library down the street from my house. So, if my stomach’s still squidgy @ 6:30. I can run for it and hurl when I get there… Not exactly how I planned it… But it is kind of nice to know the project is stable enough to go on without me… Yep yep… So yeah… 12 women, each wearing her own Obama Skirt 1x/week for 12 weeks mostly in BedStuy and Crown Heights… Will post links to their blogs on my website tonight www.aishacousins.com Thanks to all who made it happen! Ai Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

090610 Almost there

Just a few more days till Round 2. Almost all the women are in place. Went by Nzinga’s today to show her the new khangas that arrived -straight from Kenya! She decided to trade her blue khangas in for the red ones with the same pattern :) Also, Nsenga convinced her to make dresses instead of tops. Can’t wait to see how they turn out! Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

So far, so good

Today Wunmi and I will meet for the first time. Wunmi is a Nigerian artist, born and raised in the UK. She has lived in Brooklyn for years now and her musical performances are legendary. I was introduced to her by LaRonda, from the Black Rock Coalition. (You remember LaRonda. She introduced me to another amazingly talented musician, Honeychild Coleman, earlier this summer.) Like Honeychild, Wunmi is also skilled with a sewing machine. In fact, Wunmi actually designs fashions professionally, so please feel free to hit up her website, check her music and order a dress of your own www.wunmi.com ! Ps. I will be bringing the fabric from Nigeria. It arrived yesterday, by way of Los Angeles, CA. People who are schooled in Yinka Shonibare’s work often say that it is printed in Europe, but the sticker says “Printed in Nigeria.” I bought 12 yards this time, so I have several stickers. Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

2day

I dropped off Kangas with Nzinga, and photographed Jennifer get fitted for an Obama skirt. Jennifer is getting a dress and a skirt from Kebbe -she fell in love with a style in the lookbook. Nzinga and I got into an interesting debate about whether or not being 2nd generation Trinidadian, born in the US counts as African-American. She raised several strong points, and I guess kinda won because the project was supposed to be all African-American, as in “family came over to the US during slavery,” women, but now Nzinga’s one of the 12. Her parents were born in Trinidad and Guyana, but Nzingha was born and raised in the US. She’s an amazing designer. She and her twin sister Nsenga will be Kanga twins. She is making dresses for both of them and is excited about the creative challenge of working with the kangas. You can follow Nzinga’s summer line and follow her Obama Skirt progress here http://nzingaknight.wordpress.com/ Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

070110 South Africa dress, 3/4 sleeve dress shirt, black legging shorts, black sandals

Payday. Raise day. 1st raise in almost two years. When I came they had a hiring freeze. Now they’re giving us a raise. Just 3%, but still. That’s progress right? When I came, Bush was in office and the economy was sliding down like there was no tomorrow. There must be some progress…

I never read the papers much or watch tv. Haven’t done it much since September 11th. Long story, but the media coverage made it evident that neither one was a reliable source for news… So I took to gathering info from people around me… If I see it happen enough, I figure it’s true. Should ask a few more people if they’ve gotten raises…

Rents seem like they’re going up. Ads say $1350/1250 for a 1 bedroom apartment in Bed-Stuy. Don’t want to pay that much. Can’t afford it. But my friend just told me her pal Jodi has a spot, few blocks from mine for $950. Landlord started higher and Jodi asked her to knock it down… She said she couldn’t do it… But she saw Jodi a few weeks later and let her have it. Maybe progress is not so good. Well, good for tenants… Not for landlords… 1 bedroom $950 on Hancock near Malcolm X… Hasn’t been that price since 1999… Maybe 2000…Which reminds me: we have a Marcus Garvey Ave., a Malcolm X Blvd., and a Harriet Tubman Ross Ave… But no Obama roads… What’s up with that? Have you seen one? If you do will you send me a picture of the sign?

Black folks fight so hard for roads named after dead leaders. Why not roads for living ones… I think it’s because they cannot be romanticized. A living human being has flaws… But if a person’s dead, you can pretend that they were perfect… That’s alright. I’ll take my living leader, flaws and all…

Besos,

AC

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;)

But the best part of all is I get to scream at the top of my lungs everyday.

Thanks Yoko!

(You can do it too… in a mike even… Her scream piece is in the atrium)

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