Brought to you by India L. Trotter, HBIC of Blank Stare Corner

Now this is newsworthy! I am a Taco Bell connoisseur; if you will. Not many know but Taco Bell was my very first job ever. So I have this affinity to everything from its border. Delivery service? This is just short of genius.  Imagine the level of excitement that overcame me when I saw that my chalupas, Mexican Pizzas, tacos and burritos are soon to be just a phone call away. I can park my butt on my sofa and wait for it like pizza? A little slice of Heaven has just manifested in my life [yet] once again. 

Video: Examiner.com

While I was on my online hunt for material to share with my Blank Stare Corner followers I happened upon this very well written and photographic homage to the campaign #BLACKLIVESMATTER. The artistic expression to spotlight the injustices that is plaguing our American neighborhoods is brilliant, cutting and thought provoking. What Zaren Burnett III of Playboy.com has to say, however, is equally pensive. I share this article with you. 


THE ART OF #BLACKLIVESMATTER [click here to read the article on Playboy.com]
By Zaron Burnett III
Article taken from Playboy.com
PHOTO CREDIT: “THE EYES OF ERIC GARNER” BY JR

In an interview, singer and Civil Rights activist, Nina Simone was asked what freedom was to her. After some thought, and a few faltering attempts to answer, she finally arrived at what that feeling meant.

“I’ll tell you what freedom is to me: no fear. I mean, really, no fear. If I could have that half of my life… no fear…”

It makes sense a witness to the Civil Rights movement would view freedom in those terms. In her song “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free.”, Simone’s lyrics capture one of the deepest wishes of Black America:

“I wish I could break all the things that bind us apart
I wish you could know what it means to be me
And you’d see … you’d agree…
Everybody should be free…”

But then, with her inimitable Nina Simone style, she warns her listeners, “cause if we ain’t, we’re murderous.”

The shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson and the fatal suffocation of Eric Garner by the NYPD have made it clear that Black Americans still do not enjoy freedom. Nina Simone’s lyrics remain as true today as they were when she sang them during the violence of the 1960s. Half a century later, black people live with the same fear and awareness that comes from knowing our society is murderous. Thus, today’s artists must still voice their feelings of that fear and speak out against any assumptions of worthlessness.

To view the remainder of the article & the accompanying artwork click here.

You can say what you want about President Obama but what you can not say is that he is not the coolest President the Americas have ever had. Buzzfeed, who cranks out thousands of funny & thought provoking videos, teamed up with President O to get the word out about the upcoming deadline to apply for healthcare. Selfie sticks and self taunts lead us to giggles while we hear the subtle [yet, overt] message loud & clear. We here at Blank Stare Corner urge you to take a two minute break, have a quick giggle and watch up.