Welcome to The Week Unboxed! The summer holidays have officially started in our house so every day has started to feel like a Friday. Currently unboxing this past week to my newly created Summer Highs playlist and am ready to gush about the things the I loved about this week.
Quote of the week
I will never EVER tire of the mutltihyphenate powershouse that is Bozoma St John. The marketing giant is going through her entrepreneurial season after being head honcho at the likes of Netflix, Endeavour, Pepsi and Beats by Dre.
Her statement People still say I’m self-centered. Well, if I’m not self-centered, who am I supposed to be centred on? Who? Please tell me it’s not you.
Nuff said.
Video credit: Bozoma St John/Instagram
Yomi Adegoke releases debut novel, The List
My socials were blowing up with congratulations for ‘The List’ author Yomi Adegoke as she launched her debut fiction book, The List.
Prompted by a friend on the ‘gram, I went to spend my accumulating Audible credits on the book only to find that it is co-narrated by one of my former fantasy husbands Arinze Kene (…mate…) alongside The Woman King’s Sheila Antrim.
Yomi literary career started alongside Elizabeth Uviebinene with the seminal book, ‘Slay In Your Lane’, one of the first Black British non-fiction books to gain cult like notoriety amongst Black millennials. I’m looking forward to discovering Yomi’s debut fiction novel.
Brooklyn Library honours JayZ with incredible two-floor exhibition
Very rarely do I get jealous but this week was different after seeing all the footage from Brooklyn Library’s two-floor homage to Jay-Z in this year of our 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop.
Now I’m not a die-hard Jay Z fan though more than a few of his tracks make up the soundtrack of my life but from the outside the exhibition makes a statement that it. must. be. seen.
Whoever came up with the idea that Jay’s lyrics should be displayed on the library’s stark white walls is a genius. Whether you get inside or not, you’re going to experience this work!
Unfortunately, the exhibition will only run for 4 weeks and we are no longer living in a world where a short trip to New York is affordable but shout out to a couple of friends who managed to see it in person.
You can still experience a portion of the exhibition online.
Photo: Brooklyn Library/Instagram
Unapologetic Black Female Leaders
I can’t help but want to give a standing ovation for a number of Black British women taking massive unprecedented steps in their respective fields.
A massive shout out to Abi Gbago (left) who just became Chief Executive at Newham Council – she is a bonafide unicorn – and Debbie Ramsay who has become the first Black person to lead a UK News Network by becoming the new editor of Channel 5.
Can we just give them the J.Lo gif style standing ovation they deserve please?!
Black Women Rising bring our stories to Liverpool
Congratulations to Leanne Pero and the team at the charity Black Women Rising for bringing the message of Black women’s experience with cancer to the streets of Liverpool.
I had the extreme honour of working with Leanne and theatrical disrupter, Theatre Peckham on the play Unseen, Unheard earlier in the year as she used drama to discuss the realities of being a Black woman with cancer in the UK.
I’m ready to follow Adjani Salmon into his dreams
In even more Black British and excellent news, I’m chomping at the bit to see more episodes of the Adjani Salmon series Dreaming Whilst Black which comes BBC3 and iPlayer on July 24th
The show started as a pilot that truly left us wanting more so I’m glad it’s back with a full series.
