The BLACKstream blog at BlackPublicMedia.org is home to news and up-to-date information about the projects of the National Black Programming Consortium, and all things of the African Diaspora. Recently, for the BLACKstream, I interviewed four filmmakers who represent emerging voices and views of Caribbean filmmakers featured on National Black Public Consortiuum’s AfroPOP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange. With projects that touch on themes of immigration, female matriarchy, untraditional black male, and questions of the futures of Caribbean youth, this season the program explored a whole new world, and unearthed unexpected stories from paradise that are funny, thoughtful, harrowing and bittersweet. Once you read the story, be sure to check out the film, and join the conversation.
A Modern Day Middle Passage Bodies washed ashore on white sand beaches. Immigrants’ corpses littering the shores of paradise. These are images Bahamian Filmmaker Kareem Mortimer recalls of his youth, (Read the full story here.) Auntie from Barbados: Women and the Caribbean International Family Lisa Harewood is a socially motivated artist whose short film, “Auntie,” invites contemplation of Caribbean life, immigration, extended matriarchal families and those left behind. Her debut effort as a writer and director, Harewood’s film is the result of a last- minute decision to enter the Commonwealth Foundation’s development scheme. More than a lark, Harewood said she had a mere 40 hours to teach herself screenwriting after her initial pitch won a coveted spot in the festival, (Read the full story here.)
Vivre: A Young Boy’s Flight of Reality Six may just be filmmaker Maharaki’s magic number. That’s how many years it has taken the native of Barbados to bring her award-winning screenplay, “Vivre” — which means “to Live” in English — to the silver screen. During the time, Barbados-based, Maharaki continued working, developing freelance projects throughout the Caribbean, including directing music videos, advertisements and short TV formats. Regularly involved assisting overseas productions, Maharaki’s projects have led her to work with music stars such as Rihanna and Shontelle, (Read the full story here.) A Small Life with Grand Visions Mariel Brown’s short, Small Man tells the story of John Ambrose Kenwyn Rawlins, an ordinary man of modest means with a gift for making extraordinary, creative objects. With a skill that went largely unrecognized — outside his immediate family and friends — in his lifetime, Rawlins had the ability to imagine entire worlds, orchestrating scenes which afforded him a universe of freedom that eluded him in his real, day-to-day life, (Read the full story here.)
I made a delicious acquisition yesterday. No, it wasn’t hot cocoa,exactly. Rather, it was a Badgley Mischka tote. In a hue of Spring 2014’s hot color -- black orchid, my purple tote was a purchase that required two trips to New Jersey and a bit of soul searching.
Relatively speaking, the bauble was a steal, purchased on final clearance, very deeply discounted from its near $800 original retail value. Brand new, the piece looks every bit the asking price, which was what gave me pause. Better stated, it was the voice of my conscience, strengthened over nearly a decade working with poor and at-risk youth that echoed loudly in my ears, telling me to put the bag back.
Long ago, when I worked in the non-profit sector and earned a modest paycheck, I had adopted an austere lifestyle. Simply put, such extravagances had proven oxymoronic to my humanitarian work. So, years later, I was convinced I had disabused myself of my penchant for such luxuries. Then, last year, I met Valerie Salembier.
My namesake is a former Senior Vice President, Publisher and Chief Revenue Officer of Town & Country magazine, among other C-suite appointments at media stalwarts like Esquire magazine, The New York Post, The New York Times and Harper's Bazaar. On this day, she was a panelist along with Suzyn Waldman and Paula Zahn, at the “Powerful Women in Communications,” industry round table discussion.
Impossibly slender, immaculately groomed and impeccably stylish, Valerie was refreshingly approachable. It was not a surprise, she rocked a killer, leather quilted bag -- was it Chanel, maybe Gucci or perhaps Hermes? We spoke briefly following the event, last year, when I learned of our shared passion — hot cocoa.
One Fashion Warrior
Sisters-in-hot-cocoa, she waxed how her taste for hot chocolate had led her across the globe, adventuring to exotic, far-away lands to try new blends and brews. Hot cocoa connoisseurs both, our love of the elixir was overshadowed by our interest and commitment to helping abused and exploited children, each in her own way.
My humanitarian efforts had led me to forgo lavish living. Whereas Valerie, in her life and work, embraces luxury, and has adopted a no-phonies sensibility that goes beyond an ordinary aversion to knock-off designer handbags and totes. Many frown on counterfeit bags that dilute the investment of purveyors who pay top dollar for top shelf bags. Valerie takes a harder tact. She espouses a zero-tolerance attitude, and feels selling or buying counterfeit bags should be criminalized.
These beliefs are fueled by Valerie's awareness that the counterfeit handbag industry is built on exploitative labor practices that funnel cash to drug traffickers and terrorists, according to reports. She recently told the Epoch Times that the counterfeit industry “supports child labor, 7-year-olds chained to sewing machines, eating two meals of rice a day.”
There are similar cases of abuse among manufacturers who operate legally in countries with less stringent laws; however, it is the illicit swath that goes unregulated and unchallenged upon which Valerie is focused. Valerie has also served as president of the Authentics Foundation, a nonprofit that reportedly advocates internationally against the dangers of counterfeit products.
The Authentics Foundation is one of few watch dog groups whose efforts have been successful in raising international awareness of counterfeiting activities. But those efforts have not gone unchallenged. Specifically, critics have questioned the authenticity of the group, asking for corroboration of the organization’s 501(c)3 status. Meanwhile, at its helm, Valerie has continued to speak out about the hidden crimes and exploitation that is part and parcel of the underground industry that is devoid of regulation and flush with revenue.
Fashion Funding Terror
Seven years ago, the International Herald Tribuneestimated that fake designer bags generated more than $500 billion in global trade. That same report, sourced from U.S. authorities, supports Valerie's contention and highlights that a significant portion of this revenue goes to terrorists and their activities. For these reasons, Valerie has become an adamant, and outspoken anti-counterfeiting activist. She is today a recognized authority in spotting haute couture knock-offs who has hosted for the past 10 years anti-counterfeiting summits, events which have featured keynote speakers including former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.
Knock-offs generate more than $500 billion, globally, according to reports.
In 2012, Valerie took the helm of the Authentics Foundation, a nonprofit that reportedly advocates internationally against the dangers of counterfeit products. Started by lawyers in foreign cities on behalf of manufacturers of some of the world’s most exclusive brands, the charity has as its mission to protect its clients from the counterfeit industry, according to a report in the Huffington Post.
The organization ran afoul recently, The Huffington Post reported last December, when it was found to be operating illegally. The international charity was registered neither with state, nor with the federal government. Allegations for which Valerie has gone on the record to defend. However, questions remain.
The charity’s woes have not stopped Valerie from getting the message out. Holiday season 2013 saw Valerie featured in local New York news and national reports on “superfake” handbag sales. One such example, was ABC’s Good Morning America reports: 'Superfake' Knock-Off Handbags:
Public sentiment remains split on the issue of whether sellers and buyers of counterfeit goods should be criminalized. Last June, New York City Councilwoman Margaret Chin and others, including Valerie, lobbied and heavily supported proposed legislation aimed at expanding punitive consequences from the sellers and purchasers of counterfeits. The bill did not pass.
Buyer vs. Seller: Who is the Real Criminal? Arguably, such legislation would stifle the free-market rights of sellers, legal and illegal alike, many of whom include immigrant Africans of the Cocoa Belt. Notably visible are poor newcomers from Senegal and Nigeria, who live in the US and work to eek out an existence. These include many African immigrant street vendors who hustle to sell super fakes to tourists and others looking for big bargains.
Many others argue that it is the consumer’s prerogative to purchase phony products. Whether this same contingent is aware counterfeit merchandise has ties to international terrorist groups remains unseen, but groups like Valerie's are convinced that if the public were aware, the counterfeit industry and its products would be vilified and funding sources would dwindle.
What has dwindled is the number of African immigrants selling these items in New York City. Instead, Chinese immigrants in New York City's Chinatown now claim the lion's share of this region's illicit counterfeit handbag sales.
Now with a new mayoral administration residing albeit symbolically at Gracie Mansion, it remains to be seen whether policy will be changed or if legislation will again be proposed to further control this activity.
Terrorist attacks here on U.S. soil, now, more than ever, call for vigilance. Much work still needs to be done in educating the public. Proof is the recent surge in demand for “Superfakes" that has been stoked by a slumping economy and unfettered tastes for luxury items. Moreover, with such activity and political unrest worldwide, redoubled efforts are needed to mitigate illicit activity. Consumers have increased reason to pause when purchasing bogus bags.
Today, heading out for a hot cocoa meet-up with friends, I catch a glance of myself in the mirror, my boldly colored bag hanging effortlessly from my shoulder. The sight makes me smile. For me, feeling that I got a great deal and knowing my money isn’t going to illegal activity eases my conscience. Feeling au courant lifts my confidence. The option of buying a discounted authentic offers value that goes beyond the price tag. That is more than delicious.
(c) 2014 Valerie Williams-Sanchez. All Rights reserved.
You know, that’s one thing about writing, or at least the craziness of being a writer -- the story rarely seems good enough to consider done. There’s always something to tweak.
Here below is the revision of a vignette I wrote earlier. It's a perfect example. The task for a writing workshop was to write about a challenge I had to overcome. My response was as follows:
As part of a job application, I was asked to write an essay. The writing prompt could have been lines of Latin, for all it mattered. I was instructed to write a passage about the stated topic-du-jour: excimer lasers. Huh? Exa-what? Neither my high school chemistry class, nor my college “Physics for Poets” lectures had prepared me for this.
I read the passage over and over, then closed my eyes for a moment to quiet my mind and calm my fears. I began to write. I wrote and edited and wrote a bit more about the virtues, the features and the benefits of cold versus hot lasers when applied in heart surgery.
I wrestled with the words and struggled to make sense of the morass. My essay seemed to morph into wholly different narratives with each successive rewrite. Finally, I surrendered. I turned off the computer and succumbed to the notion that the task had been insurmountable.
A few days later the phone rang and a Ms. Kaminski said succinctly: “Hello Valerie. We have reviewed your application and would like to offer the staff writer position.”
I got the job!? Stunned and thrilled, I accepted. Somewhere in all that writing and editing, I overcame the seemingly insurmountable challenge to understand complex new concepts, and landed a medical/health care writing position with Medical Data International. I worked for the company from 1996-98, until my position was ultimately eliminated when the workforce was downsized following the company's acquisition by IHS, Inc.
This yarn was originally written for Visible Ink, a therapeutic writing program sponsored by the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. I have been participating in the program throughout my cancer treatment. It has helped me manage myriad micro and macro challenges that have accompanied my life through my diagnosis and treatment.
In this way, my writing has mirrored my life -- a constant effort spent working to get it right, manage change, perfect when possible, and eliminate incongruity. Since writing the laser story, I am again, on the dawn of a promising New Year. Now cancer-free, I am open to opportunities. It is time to again rewrite my story. (c) 2013 Valerie Williams-Sanchez. All Rights reserved.
[UPDATED for FIGMENT NYC 2014 at Governor's Island, New York]
There’s more than one way to tell a tale. This, my latest vignette, is an interactive, multi-faceted and multi-media journey that involves a fish, one brave koi fish in particular: “Valory” the Koi of Courage.
Before the final treatments in my breast cancer journey, I chose to give power to my creativity – instead of giving over to anxiety and fear -- to build courage, power and community, and to manifest another sort of tale. This one, I hope will start a conversation of empowerment. Won’t you join in?
Please share your story of valor and courage (of any length) here on my blog, and a symbolic scale will be added to Valory’s fish body. A journey that began as part of Figment Philadelphia 2013, this time, your scale will become part of the Figment story and exhibit to be held Saturday, June 7th at Governor's Island, New York.
In Japanese legend, a koi that succeeded in climbing the Yellow River, past the falls at Dragon Gate, would be transformed into a dragon. Similarly, “Valory, the Koi of Courage” invites you to be part of its journey into being, asking you to recall and remember a challenge you have overcome to lend the fish a bit of your power.
This Figment Philadelphia 2013 art installation calls on the power of our collective consciousness to help Valory come into being, to become a symbol of transcendence, strength, unity, and peace.
Tell Your Story, Lend Your Power.
Can you recall a transformative life challenge, one which gave you a sense of power when it was overcome? Share your power by indicating that challenge in writing on a paper fish scale of courage. Choose an ink and scale color to reflect your family identity and the type of challenge, respectively, that you select. Then write a date, keyword, name or even a descriptive sentence or phrase about the challenge you met. Last, add your personal “scale of courage” onto the fish body. While in progress, the fish’s nose faces the sky, indicating its upward journey. Once the body has been covered with scales and the challenge has been met, the fish's nose will dip downward, in the opposite direction. This will signify that its journey is complete.
Sons-Blue Bekko-Health, physical-White, yellow, red
Daughters-Pink Kohaku-Love, relationship-Red, white
The Fish in the World.
In Japan, the fish has become a symbol of worldly aspiration and advancement. Moreover, in world cultures and religions, the fish has symbolic meaning and is a timeless icon.
African Myths - Fertility and creativity, embodying a new phase of life Buddhism - Happiness and freedom Celtic Culture - Knowledge, wisdom, inspiration and prophecy China - Unity and fidelity Christianity - Abundance and faith Eastern Indian Mythology - Transformation and creation Greco-Roman Mythology - Change and transformation Norse and European Cultures - Adaptability, determination & life Pagan Traditions - Femininity, fertility and an attribute of the Goddess
The BLACKstream blog at BlackPublicMedia.org is home to news and up-to-date information about the projects of the National Black Programming Consortium, and all things of the African Diaspora. 
