Wakanda and a Side Salad
Time to sit back, grab a drink of your choice, and enjoy another edition of Sassy.
Cramping My Style
by Jenny Booth Potter
Yesterday’s wordle made me laugh out loud. It was C R A M P; and I thought, that’s right, NY Times game, that’s right. There are lots of things that can cramp my style, but today, I find myself on the heels of learning that August is National Breastfeeding Awareness Month. Listen, I’m all here for awareness, and as a former breastfeeding mama, hell yes do we need more education around the literal thing that (until the invention of formula) has kept humans alive past the first few hours out of the womb. What I am annoyed by is the cramming of all this into a month. It’s shoved out of the daily discord, away from the common and familiar and known.
I felt so much pride in my breastfeeding journey - the way I figured out how to use my breast pump or where on my employers campus I should pump (since legally they didn’t have to provide a place to pump, just the time to pump), but it could be easier. I wish there were cable networks and channels devoted to strategy and coaching, with experts offering advice on what to do about cracked nipples or the scary onset of mastitis. I wish society would not just tolerate breastfeeding, not just give us a month, but give us an accessible way to understand our bodies and how to nourish others around us.
While its important that new parents feel less alone in their journey into caring for infants, that isnt the only reason this matters. Right now, when there are calls for paid parental leave and when shelves are empty of baby formula and when breast pumps are only included with certain insurance plans- only a few (ahem half the population) really understand. If this knowledge was accessible and normalized, the very basics of bringing new life into the world would be understood by all.
Pregnant Pause
by Austin Channing Brown
Breathe, dear friend. Deeply. Fill your lungs, your belly, your being. And breathe.
The Flo(w)
by Stephanie McBee
Can we talk about this Black Panther Trailer?!?! I’m not a comic con or Marvel fanatic, but you better believe that I will be present and accounted for, wearing my Sunday’s best among the procession to pay respects to King T’challa in Wakanda on November 11th, 2022.
I don’t know if it was the absence of Chadwick, the powerful presence of the women of Wakanda, or the resounding pulse of “No Woman No Cry” bleeding into Kendrick’s “We gone be alright,” but my heart was feeling all the feels. The sensation of chills that I get watching the trailer for part 2 may be an indication that director, Ryan Coogler and the entire cast are going to blow our minds even more.
The emotion in the trailer was clearly real. The characters weren’t just mourning the loss of a king, but the actors were mourning the loss of their lead… their friend. Chadwick Boseman’s unexpected death from colon cancer in 2020 shocked the world and left us all heartbroken. Black Panther was more than a character, he represented the best of our culture, and Chadwick embodied so many possibilities for little black and brown kids everywhere.
Just as the people of Wakanda are entering a new chapter after losing their king, so many of us are entering similar spaces in our lives as we emerge from 2 years of change, loss, isolation, and grief. Maybe I’m hopeful that the story of these characters, their resilience, and their fight will somehow encourage me to know that we too will be alright, no matter what awaits us on this new path ahead. But what I do know for sure, it that on November 11th, people throughout the nation will come together to honor Chadwick. And once again we will celebrate his life, his artistry, his legacy, and the beauty of black culture.
Wakanda Forever.
She's Gotta Have It
by Austin Channing Brown
Okay. Let me just say, I wasn't sure about this as I walked through Target's bath aisle. I needed a new over-the-shower caddy. I was beginning to realize how often my caddy had me flinching, darting out of the way, picking up bottles- because it refused to stay in place. When I was in my 20s, that was fine. But in my mid-thirties, I risk breaking my neck everytime I try to make sure my caddy doesn't fall on my toes. So, I did it. I put a big expensive shower caddy in my basket. AND IT WORKED. I have not flinched once, in fear of bottles raining down on my head. My toes are safe. This thing is sturdy, and I can now continue being clumsy without fear. Gather up those gift cards and check out Simple Human's Shower Caddy options.
Cravings
by Jenny Booth Potter
Its difficult for me to call this a recipe because its basically an assembly of easy deliciousness found from just 5 simple ingredients. I guarantee you already have two of the ingredients in your home - salt and extra virgin olive oil (or EVOO if you feel like sounding french). I eat it with everything. It should replace the standard side salad if you ask me. The peppery arugula with the salt with the acid from the lemon and the smoothness of the cheese. YUM. You ready?
