Fort Negrita Blog

Just this morning I was in the West End, and over the day I  have ended up in Austin for the SXSWEco conference. Tomorrow morning, I have an all day volunteer shift, but I wanted to give a quick review of what I think of Austin so far. I'm super excited about the conference, because I will get to immerse myself in dialogue and actions for a superfluous future. Today, when I picked up my badge, I learned about the Land Art Generator Initiative where about 15 architecture/design collaboration came up prototypes for improving the Santa Monica water front. From...

I'm prepping for the South Broad St Market this upcoming Saturday (Oct 8. 12p-6p) with The Peach Coven, an organization that regularly donate period products to homeless shelters in the Atlanta area, which means there are sanitary napkin cutouts, thread and fleece scraps all around my room. Not to mention a barely made bed, an abandoned yoga mat and dirty dishes.  As I'm sealing together layers of remnant fabrics to make an item that will transform one woman's relationship with her menstrual cycle, I can't help but consider how much of an uphill battle it is for women to embrace their...

When I made the decision to move to Atlanta it was because of all the nostalgia I had for places I had never been. Like seeing Spaceships on Bankhead, riding in East Point bumpin' Cool Breeze's Greatest Hits or starting something good on Headland and Delowe. But since living in Atlanta, the Atlanta I dreamt of  was buried under murals painted by artists that didn't understand, historical buildings smothered in franchise swag and irresponsibility for the people that stood for Atlanta, even when Atlanta didn't stand for them. Everyday, I ride my bike around the city and only see remnants...

What does revolution look like to?  Perhaps our idea of revolution was developed by movies, music and pop culture, but let' be real it's overwhelming to think about it. Like a scene from The Warriors; angry youth in denim jackets and black skinny jeans slamming trash cans into windows whilst Jay-Z's "Takeover" plays enthusiastically in the background.  Revolution doesn't have to be so complicated, violent or devastating. Practicing everyday acts of revolution is how we manage to exists, otherwise, we spend our lives waiting for that big 'scene' to happen. In lieu of a big undertaking, take everyday acts of revolution and trust that ideologies...

Contrary to popular belief, my biggest pet peeve since I began the zero waste life isn't related to trash at all.My top pesky thing about practicing a zero waste life is the perceived notion of perfection.Zero waste is a journey not a destination, it's a never ending cycle of triumphs, EPIC fails and trash free milestones.I'm turned off from the idea of perfection because it tends to make the zero waste lifestyle an exclusive, out of reach and mentally-impossible elite club for some.With that, we can lose many opportunities to get folks to make one step (small or large!), towards...