Did you know the desire to escape slavery was once classified as a mental illness called drapetomania in 1851? Black people were considered mentally ill for refusing to live in bondage.
Today, 29 years ago, Janet Jackson released her magnum opus, The Velvet Rope.
Her most introspective and personal work, the concept album fused R&B and pop with trip-hop, dance, folk, jazz, rock, and techno, creating one of the most adventurous sonic statements of her career.
Ellen von Unwerth photographed Janet for the album’s artwork, with additional photography by Mario Testino.
A 25-year-old woman was abducted at gunpoint and forced into the back seat of a car.
Desperate for someone to notice, she locked eyes with two teenage boys in another vehicle and silently mouthed two words… “Help me.”
17-year-old Jamal Harris and 19-year-old Aaron Arias immediately called 911 and began following the car.
The driver realized they were behind him and started speeding up, slowing down and swerving through traffic trying to lose them. But Jamal and Aaron stayed with him, continuously updating police on where the car was going.
They knew if they lost sight of it, the woman could disappear.
Police eventually caught up, surrounded the vehicle and arrested the driver. The woman was finally safe, and later embraced the teenagers who had noticed her silent plea and refused to look away.
Jamal and Aaron were just out driving that day. But because they paid attention and kept following when it would have been easier to turn away, a kidnapped woman made it home safely.
These are the types of young people the internet should be talking about. 💙
Never forget what white folks did to his body. He was beheaded, dissected, and skinned. They cut off body parts to keep and made a purse of his skin. His skull was passed down thru generations for 180yrs before it was returned to his descendants.
Never let them call us animals.