TRIGGER WARNING: We will be periodically dedicating an episode to a melanated cold case throughout the season as we hope to shed more light on these stories. In July 2005, Army Private LaVena Johnson was found dead in a tent, while she was serving in Iraq. The initial investigation stated she died of self-inflicted wounds, but her family would later discover that things were not what they seemed. Evidence was later found that suggests LaVena was beaten, burned and sexually assaulted before she died. Her father, Dr. John Johnson who is also retired military, has worked relentlessly since 2005 to get justice for his baby girl. Please click on this episode so that as many people as possible know LaVena’s story.

Sources referenced in this episode

Yahoo Article: https://news.yahoo.com/16-years-later-grieving-family-162100992.html

New York Times Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/03/magazine/military-sexual-assault.html

NPR Audio & Article: https://news.stlpublicradio.org/government-politics-issues/2015-07-19/10-years-later-a-soldiers-family-still-grieves-and-questions-the-armys-version-of-her-death

YouTube Video: https://www.protectourdefenders.com/the-johnson-family-story/

Happy Women’s Month!! In celebration, we decided to focus on topics that directly impact Black Women. Black Feminism needs to be discussed more often. In this episode, we dissect the term ‘feminism’ and why we feel black women need a separate movement from mainstream feminism. We also define and discuss masculine and feminine energy and how both are necessary and have their own unique spaces. Trust us, you don't want to miss this episode!

Happy Women’s Month!! In celebration, we decided to focus on topics that directly impact Black Women. Policing of Black Women is a real issue facing our community. In this episode, we discuss everything from the policing of black women expressions to the recent focus on how we show up in our romantic relationships. There are podcasts, YouTube channels, and entire platforms dedicated to giving romantic advice to black women, why is that? Make sure you click on this episode to find out!

Happy Women’s Month!! In celebration, we decided to focus on topics that directly impact Black Women. Texturism can be defined as the idea that loose or well defined curls deserve favoring or praise, and it most certainly influences the beauty standard of  black women. In this episode, we discuss the history of our hair types, how texturism shows up today, and so much more! You definitely  don’t want to miss this episode!

Sources referenced in this episode

Hair type resources

https://www.byrdie.com/hair-typing-system-history-5205750#citation-2

https://suite7beautytalk.com/2014/04/09/hair-typing-the-confusion-the-controversy/

https://www.naturalhairforbeginners.com/2020/07/hair-types.html

Happy Black History Month!! This year we decided to cover 100 years of black history, highlighting melanated people, places, and events from all over the world. In this episode, we discuss the 1990s and 2000s. We examine a variety of topics including Rodney King, Liberia’s 1st Civil War, Surya Bonaly, Sarah Baartman, Voting Rights and so much more! Let us take you on an informational yet entertaining walk through melanated history by clicking on this episode!

Sources referenced in this episode

History Timeline Sites

https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2020/jul/11/black-history-timeline

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-history-milestones

https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history-timeline/

1990s

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/nelson-mandela-released-from-prison

https://www.achievementfirst.org/what-greatness-looks-like-celebrating-surya-bonaly/

https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Eritrean_War_of_Independence

https://www.history.com/topics/africa/rwandan-genocide

2000s

https://blog.socialstudies.com/a-timeline-of-african-american-history-in-the-united-states

https://www.cirsd.org/en/horizons/horizons-winter-2015--issue-no2/the-rise-of-africa-in-the-twenty-first-century?__cf_chl_tk=9OGT55YXdizYedMAhqEpkiuA1JivBYMNyyxll_PLC3s-1643213888-0-gaNycGzNI9E

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35240987

https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/imagination-violated-france-return-african-art-80480317

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/freedom-vote-act

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-09-27/police-reform-failure-congress

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/11/rand-paul-lynching-hate-crime-bill-limbo

Happy Black History Month!! This year we decided to cover 100 years of black history, highlighting melanated people, places, and events from all over the world. In this episode, we discuss the 1970s and 1980s. We examine a variety of topics including Angela Davis, Steven Biko, the AIDS epidemic, Miami Riots and so much more! Let us take you on an informational yet entertaining walk through melanated history by clicking on this episode!

Sources referenced in this episode

History Timeline Sites

https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2020/jul/11/black-history-timeline

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-history-milestones

https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history-timeline/

1970s

https://www.mylifetime.com/she-did-that/october-13-1970-angela-davis-was-arrested-setting-off-the-free-angela-davis-campaign

http://jenniferhosten.com/#background

https://bcblackhistory.ca/rosemary-brown/

https://blogs.harvard.edu/wheredisasterstrikes/drought/ethiopia-1973-1974/

https://www.encyclopedia.com/finance/finance-and-accounting-magazines/equal-employment-opportunity-act-1972

1980s

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/miami-liberty-city-riot-1980/

https://www.thoughtco.com/african-american-history-timeline-1980-1989-45446

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1497147/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1110570413000520

https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/growing-social-unrest-community-mobilisation-strikes-and-student-protests-western-cape

https://www.gileadhiv.com/landscape/history-of-hiv/?utm_id=iw_sa_15442187160_127739509582&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=history+of+hiv&gclid=CjwKCAiA0KmPBhBqEiwAJqKK42BjS-a4rsTXYJlmw-d08NF-0wnhKas6BKO26NPGmLcFWbivQAuYSxoCRjMQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/different-fight-same-goal-how-black-freedom-movement-inspired-early-n1259072

Happy Black History Month!! This year we decided to cover 100 years of black history, highlighting melanated people, places, and events from all over the world. In this episode, we discuss the 1950s and 1960s.  We examine a variety of topics including the Algerian Liberation Front, the establishment of Jet and Ebony magazine, the celebration of several African countries being decolonized and so much more! Let us take you on an informational yet entertaining walk through melanated history by clicking on this episode!

Sources referenced in this episode

History Timeline Sites

https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2020/jul/11/black-history-timeline

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-history-milestones

https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history-timeline/

1950s

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/bunche-receives-nobel-peace-prize

https://www.thoughtco.com/african-american-history-timeline-1950-1959-45442

1960s

https://www.jstor.org/stable/20670218

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Malcolm-X#ref928937

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/organization-afro-american-unity-oaau-1965/

https://www.fbi.gov/history/directors/j-edgar-hoover

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Organization-of-Afro-American-Unity

https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2014/11/07/harvard-students-failed-the-1964-louisiana-literacy-test/

https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/fraught-friendship-susan-b-anthony-and-frederick-douglass.htm

https://www.infoplease.com/history/black-history/the-murders-of-james-chaney-andrew-goodman-and-michael-schwerner

https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2020/jul/11/black-history-timeline

Happy Black History Month!! This year we decided to cover 100 years of black history, highlighting melanated people, places, and events from all over the world. In this episode, we discuss the early 1900s to the 1940s. We examine a variety of topics including  the Harlem Renaissance, the Pan-African Conference, the wealthiest Black athlete of the early 1900s, the Spanish Civil War and so much more! Let us take you on an informational yet entertaining walk through melanated history by clicking on this episode!

Sources referenced in this episode

History Timeline Sites

https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2020/jul/11/black-history-timeline

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-history-milestones

https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history-timeline/

Early 1900s

https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/pan-african-congresses-1900-1945/

https://www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/kingdom-ashanti-formally-annexed-great-britain#:~:text=On%2025%20September%201901%2C%20the,Gold%20Coast%20management%20in%201897

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-unknown-story-of-the-black-cyclone-the-cycling-champion-who-broke-the-color-barrier-33465698/

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/fuller-meta-warrick-1877-1968/

https://history.state.gov/milestones/1914-1920/haiti

1920s

https://www.cortland.edu/cgis/suzman/sa_timeline.html

https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/rand-rebellion-1922

https://www.loc.gov/collections/african-american-perspectives-rare-books/articles-and-essays/timeline-of-african-american-history/1901-to-1925/

http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/twenty/tkeyinfo/garvey.htm

https://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/harlem-renaissance

https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/rand-rebellion-1922

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rand_Rebellion

1940s

https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/they-treated-us-royally-the-experiences-of-black-americans-in-britain-during-the-second-world-war

TRIGGER WARNING: We will be periodically dedicating an episode to a melanated cold case throughout the season as we hope to shed more light on these stories. In 2013 Kendrick Johnson, a 17-year-old honor roll student and athlete, was found dead in a rolled-up gym mat at his GA high school. His case was closed in 4 months and ruled an accident. Recently the case has been re-opened and we felt Kendrick and his story deserved some additional spotlight.  In this episode, we discuss everything from the details of what happened the day he died, to the confusion and mishandling of his case. There is a lot to question when it comes to this case from the cause of death to the person(s) of interest. The inconsistencies and discrepancies are clear indications of a cover up. Please click on this episode so that as many people as possible know Kendrick’s story.

Sources referenced in this episode

YouTube Documentary: https://youtu.be/9x40iETsQ2s

United Stated Department of Justice: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdga/pr/justice-department-closes-investigation-death-kendrick-johnson

NPR Article: https://www.npr.org/2021/03/10/975729899/probe-reopened-in-death-of-kendrick-johnson-georgia-teen-found-in-rolled-up-gym

Crime On-line Article: https://www.crimeonline.com/2021/09/03/body-parts-are-missing-newly-released-footage-of-kendrick-johnsons-last-moments-the-latest-in-troubling-death-investigation/

Roxi Thiam is a Tucson, AZ native who is a published author and Holistic Health & Wellness expert. She is a certified Holistic Nutritionist & Clinical Herbalist who specializes in weight loss and women’s wellness. In this episode, we discuss everything from the relationship our ancestors had with herbs, to Roxi’s herbal recommendations for stress. In addition, she shares her journey on how she overcame her health issues such as being overweight, PCOS, and diabetes. You definitely don’t want to miss this episode!!

If you enjoyed Roxi and would like to work with her, here are ways to connect:

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/roxit

Web: www.bougieteaparty.com

IG: @finesselifeholistics