Ms. Afrika Abney - Consultant Branding Blog

  Beauty Lies in Colors that I see and human character. I do not define fashion and beauty based on style and outer appearance. Beauty lies in colors of the universe. Each color represents a different meaning whether spiritual, emotional, physical or mental. For example, brown represents my skin color.  Why judge me because I am a black middle aged woman? Is that all that you see? If so, then, you have not bothered to examine things like kindness, compassion, nurturing, and understanding. My style does not define who I am. My character does. Thus, when I wear the colors of my heritage, race and culture, I display strength, pride and elegance.                                Beauty Lies in Colors. Digital art created on canvas. Afrika Abney

For many years, I have celebrated Black History Month in many ways. Some of them include acknowledging black people that I know and reading Black History Month quotes. I have posted several blog posts where I mention something about various black people and some quotes. I do not celebrate Black History Month in February; I celebrate it everyday.                                                 Blackness. Digital art piece created on canvas. Afrika Abney “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” – Harriet Tubman “My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.” – Desmond Tutu “Whatever we believe about ourselves and our ability comes true for us.” – Susan L. Taylor  "I get way down in the music ...

There are so many Black women dancers that I know. Some of them include Nana Malaya, Wakili McNeil and Kima Hawk. Nana Malaya Nana Malaya at Dance Africa 2009. Dance Place, Washington, DC.Photograph by Ms. Afrika Abney Nana Malaya has been performing since early childhood.  Her versatility and expertise in the arts has lead to many diverse opportunities.  Her first major choreographic work was, “The Hallelujah Chorus,” a liturgical dance (an innovation at the time) for the prestigious Carnegie Mellon Institute in Pittsburg when she was only 16 years old! Nana Malaya was also selected to be one of the youngest members of August Wilson’s first professional theatre company: The Black Horizon Theatre.  This friendship and collaboration continued, and she also served as an actress and choreographer for the Pulitzer Prize winning playwright.  Her company, The Nubian Theatre Dance & Music Company, has provided her the opportunity to portray many characters an...

Deep skin is a digital art piece created on canvas. It is about how Black people are constantly being racial profiled or judged based on the color of our skin. As a black woman, I refuse to be profiled based on the color of my skin because when you profile me, you profile my ancestors who built the pyramids, created traffic lights and buildings for you to reach your dreams and goals. Why waste your time making wild assumptions and drawing unnecessary conclusions because you see a black woman making a difference and impacting the lives of the future generation? Deep skin or should I say deep waters. Black people have made it through slavery, protests, demonstrations, poverty, and discrimination. Yet, you stand there waiting for a black person to do harm. Not all black people are Dr. Karenga and not all black people want to dragged through the mud because of your speculations.  If I was tan would I be looked at differently from a deep skinned black person. No, because black people no...

 There are many countless Black Women Poets that have made a contribution in today's society. Some of them include Dr. Maya Angelou, Eloise Greenfield and Joy Jones. " Dr. Maya Angelou was an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Angelou   " Children’s author Ms. Eloise Greenfield was born in Parmele, North Carolina, and raised in Washington, DC. She attended Miner Teachers’ College (now the University of the District of Columbia) and went on to work as a clerk in the US Patent Office. The monotony of the job drove her to experiment with making up rhymes, and eventually Greenfield began writing poetry in earnest. Her first published poem appeared in the Hartford Times i...

                                                                          Quote found on the Internet   I used the above quote because there seems to be a war on drugs, violence and hatred spreading rapidly throughout the world. Although, I do not believe in what Malcolm X stood for. I support this quote because I am Black.   "Black isn't a primary, secondary, or tertiary color. In fact, black isn't on the color wheel because it isn't considered a color. It's all colors. Or rather, the absorption of all colors. Black absorbs all light in the color spectrum. "Black's color meaning is symbolic of mystery, power, elegance, and sophistication. In contrast, the color meaning can also evoke emotions such as sadness and anger. The color black represents power, ...

I created this painting from ages 14 - 16 which was when I was a high school student. Years later, I donated the painting. The painting-- Sleepy Child was painted using acrylic paint on canvas board. Upon graduating from high school in 1993, I have not painted much portraits. When I was in high school from 1991 - 1993, my favorite subject in high school was art. My art teacher was Jorge Somarriba.  "Jorge Somarriba, a Nicaraguan born artist who lives in Gaithersburg.  He immigrated to the United States in 1975 and has taught art at the Bell Multicultural High School and Norwood School in Bethesda. Art is an important expression of life that documents the thoughts, experiences, and traditions of an individual. Art is the power to create a specific piece using various materials hightened by tone, volume, depth, and definition. Art is the tool for healing the mind, body and spirit. Art is the colors that glow upon the eyes of both the artist and the viewer. Art is the beauty of...

I was introduced to Baba Melvin Deal when I was 5 years old and he had his first dance studio located in Ward 7. He taught me West African dance. Many years later, Baba Deal has had the opportunity to observe me conduct dance workshops and dance performances at a wide variety of venues such as Malcolm X Park, Market 5 Gallery and Howard Theatre.  Baba Melvin Deal -  African Heritage Dancers & Drummers "The Founding Executive Artistic Director of the African Heritage Dancers and Drummers was, Mr. Melvin Deal, a veteran artist of more than forty one years. Mr. Deal, has worked tirelessly in researching African cultural manifestations to be used in the building of Self-Esteem and addressing the presence of Violence, Delinquency and Dysfunctional lifestyles and abuse in African-American communities. ​ An accomplished, Dancer, Musician, Choreographer, Researcher and Director, Mr. Deal was a graduate of Howard University, with a BA degree in Fine Arts & Education. Mr. D...