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28 days --- 56 ways to be Young, Gifted and Black: Em Nicol

How do you spend your days? I spend my days stretching and learning new ways to release tension in my body. Then I pass the ideas along to people in my community, so they too can self-release and de-stress. These people may be fitness clients, friends, family or even my two dogs. We All Stretch. We Strive for Fluidity. Water. I also read a lot. My bed typically has nothing but exercise science and black liberation books in it. Although right now I have a book called True Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart that my partner and I share.  What brings you joy? Children's laughter, dog smiles, the smell of good food made with ancient love, playing drums for the love of the game, witnessing the moment that someone begins to believe in themselves more than they ever have before (that moment is irreplaceably special), my mother being alive, and listening to the Universe speak.  What is liberation to you? Many things, places, feelings, daydreams, escapes, affirmati...

28 days --- 56 ways to be Young, Gifted and Black: Fitz Reid

How do you spend your days? Hanging out with my dog, learning new things, laughing, thinking about my next adventure, teaching myself to cook, going to the gym, taking care of myself both mentally, spiritually, and physically. When I am not doing that I’m listening to future and being a lawyer.  What brings you joy? Helping others. POC embracing each other and laughing together like nothing else matters.  What is liberation to you? When we stop fighting to tear down systems of oppression just to replicate it.

28 days --- 56 ways to be Young, Gifted and Black: Elisha Simon-Lee

How do you spend your days? I spend most of my days helping children in foster care identify coping skills and strategies that assist with maintaining emotional & behavioral stability. What brings you joy? Sharing love and receiving love is what brings me joy.  What is liberation to you? Expression through song/singing (the high notes..the low notes.. and the lyrics that compliment) is liberation to me.

28 days --- 56 ways to be Young, Gifted and Black: Honey Hernandez

How do you spend your days? I spend a lot of my time doing things with my kids. Learning. Laughing and just being around each other having fun. What brings you joy? The two things that bring me the most joy is laughing with my kids and laughing and praying with my better half. What is liberation to you? Liberation to me is a dream that everyone wants. To know for a fact that anybody can be themselves without judgement. "Just Plain Freedom"

28 days --- 56 ways to be Young, Gifted and Black: Rachel Johns

How do you spend your days? I spend my days reading John Grisham novels, rotating between NPR segments and my Spotify trap music playlist. What brings you joy? Motherhood brings me pure unrelenting joy. What is liberation to you? Liberation to me is persistence in my endeavor to be unapologetically BLACK no matter how divisive I may seem to other folk. Because I know me and my socioeconomic plight and what's good for me and for my people.

28 days --- 56 ways to be Young, Gifted and Black: Kas Charmel

How do you spend your days? I spend my days working towards my destiny and purpose, and being close to my loved ones.  What brings you joy? It brings me joy helping people tap into their Best selves.  What is liberation to you? Being Liberated to me is being able to be in present time and accept everything that is around you and within you as a divine blessing. Knowing that every moment experienced (good or bad) is a privilege and greeting it with gratitude and optimism...Living Healthy Happy and Whole...that is Liberation.

28 days --- 56 ways to be Young, Gifted and Black: Candace Simpson

How do you spend your days? I'm a seminary student, a minister, and a teacher. I facilitate classroom spaces and work with all ages of people, from 3 to 86. I engage peer to peer support as my ministry. On any given day, I'm running to catch the train to Harlem, writing about my vision for womanist practice, and watching Animaniacs until I fall asleep. Also, I eat a lot of french toast. And Pineapple and Pepperoni Pizza.  What brings you joy? I get joy from watching Black girls fix their makeup on the bus and take selfies for their tumblr pages, the sound of double dutch ropes outside my window, snuggles, Beyonce's family, watching folks allow themselves to be challenged, a fully charged iPhone battery, money in my PayPal account, compliments on my hair, men who don't bother me in the street and follow me for several blocks, elders, aunties, uncles, cousins, babies/baby-smells.  What is liberation to you? Liberation looks like heaven to me. It...