Fort Negrita Blog

(photo:  Ernest Withers, 1968, via artsbma.org) two garbage collectors, echol cole and robert walker, who were crushed to death by a malfunctioning truck, and 1300 of their sanitation brothers were the reason mlk was in memphis on the day of his death in 1968. the workers, mostly black men, were operating dilapidated trucks, not being paid overtime, covered in filth, and making so little that they depended on public assistance to feed their families. they were demanding dignity for their work. the strike began on february 12 and by february 15, 10,000 tons of trash had piled up. the mayor of memphis...

everyday we have an opportunity to turn our food scraps into nutrient dense soil or methane gas.  if you have a backyard (even at a rental) you can turn those food scraps into nutrient rich compost using three things a pile of leaves, a shovel, and a small bucket that can fit in your freezer. the small bucket should stay in your freezer and as you cook throughout the week put your food scraps in the bucket. meanwhile in the back corner of your yard, make a pile with the leaves and carve out a hole in the middle of...

when i first moved into a communal house (wah gwan orange moon), i didn't know anything about organizing said communal house. and when i moved in there wasn't necessarily a big need for consensus building. (although on a side note, i would say that all houses can benefit from practicing consensus building and organizing house meetings, etc.) after gaining more roommates without much initial familiarity (now were moon cycle sisters!), we had to express personal boundaries and establish agreements. much of this i organized out of pure intuition, but then a sister-friend (hey nene girl!) helped me learn more about consensus building,...

in 2014, my first year practicing a zero waste lifestyle, i wrote about how to go grocery shopping as a zero waster. check out the original post. not all grocery stores have a bulk section, which is mostly an issue of affluence, privilege, and class. considering us without access to a grocery store with a bulk section (myself included!)  i'm going to explain how to minimize waste while shopping at a bulk-less (or bulk!) grocery store.  ONE, bring your own bags! lol yall knew that was going to be tip number one. bring large bags for all your groceries, and even smaller ones for...

  reusable pads are an economical, environmental, health and comfortable alternative to disposable menstrual products. during the workshop people that bleed have a chance to make a reusable pad, either regular sized or XL. making reusable pads accessible for all! this is a special KANG edition of the pad party where guests will also have a chance to write letters to incarcerated kinfolk, utilize atlanta's alternative economic model- MA'AT (metro atlan'a time bank), and enjoy a bowl of soup!guests are encouraged to bring snacks and wine, and come ready to talk about flow, herbal remedies, favorite R&B songs and such....