Remember teenage love so good it made your heart hurt?  The kind that made your belly warm and solar plexus tingle? The kind that made you smile so wide, your teeth and tongue dried up?

You know.  The kind that made, even “good” girls (and boys), want to “lose it”. (ha! lose what , I ask?)

Now, imagine if you were HIV positive.  

New York original (cause these days, no one that lives here is actually from here) Andrea Williams’ debut film, A Spoonful of Sugar tells that teenage love story.

And it is absolutely beautiful.  

HIV-infected teen, Patrice, navigates first love, sexuality, stigmas, secrets, and responsibility while still managing to captivate us with her courage, raw honesty, and yes- innocence.  Shot in 35mm and edited on Final Cut Pro by Bill Mack of Diaspora/Aerolith Studios, Spoonful is New York coming of age tale that manages to combine grit, light, and a beautiful cast of black and brown characters.  Silvestre Rasuk (Raising Victor Vargas) plays the love interest of newcomer Noelle Gift, who plays the HIV-infected Patrice, born with HIV which she contracted from her mother. 

An official selection at a number of international festivals, including the Independent Feature Project (IFP-NY) Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival, and London Film Festival, Spoonful is also the recipient of numerous awards and accolades.  The fresh-faced cast and complex approach to exploring the life of an HIV-affected young woman speak for itself.   Featured as part of the Reel New York Film Festival, hosted by Channel 13, A Spoonful of Sugar is one of 29 independent films and videos “by New Yorkers and about New Yorkers”.  Thirteens’ Reel NY Festival airs A Spoonful of Sugar tonight at 10 pm on Ch. 13 (WNET-NY).  If you miss it, simply catch it online at on Thirteen’s website.

According to the I Stand With Magic campaign which seems to have hit bus stops and public gathering spaces all over New York City, 81% of all peoples living with HIV/AIDS in New York City are African-American and Latino.  Women of color, we know, represent the growing number of new cases.  If you’re a New York Boricua, then you also know that Unidos Dandole Cara al Sida (United Giving a Face to AIDS) has been raising hell about the recent federal cuts to HIV/AIDS funding on the island and its impact on treatment, social and support services, and HIV/AIDS focused agencies who are now soliciting support from across the nation for the AIDS crisis in Puerto Rico.

Mi gente, DO SOMETHING!

And as for my sister, Andrea Williams, keep your eyes and ears open. I promise that you’ll see her work soon, at a theater near you. 

Shoutout to the sister(and i mean everyone's sister, even yours)Marineives Alba for getting the post about GRITA before me…heres my lil take on it and Latin Hip Hop…

 What do we really consider "Latin" Hip Hop? Is it just Hip Hop in another language? Is the language barrier the reason why it deserves its own sub-category? Who exactly is to say that english is the primary language for Hip Hop anyway? I have had many conversations about this topic recently and in my opinion I truly believe that "Latin" Hip Hop is more hip hop than any other hip hop especially American hip hop right now. It deals with the roots of hip hop and what it should be, a voice of the people. Most "latin" hip hop artists(not reggaeton artist, wutever that means) talk bout the social issues of their country, and their culture. I feel thats exactly where todays "American" Hip Hop should be. So some may argue that there is no language barrier, its all the same language, the language of HIP HOP, no matter what dialect.

An example of this took place on Sunday Aug 19th, at the world famous S.O.Bs in NYC. A gathering of International Latino Hip Hop Artists convened to put on the show GRITA || SAY SOMETHING. A Hip Hop Politic Show, and a show that NYC has not witnessed in a long time. A show that put the faith back into HIP HOP in general. The lineup consisted of Boca Floja from DF Mexico, Intifada from Puerto Rico, Chilean and Boriqua Rappers that make up REBEL DIAZ and the Foundation Movement out of Boston. All students of hip hop but on this night, we were the students.

This also brings me back to a the same topic that the Legendary DJ Disco Wiz(I like to call him Uncle wiz) raised to me and other peers in the game. You can chek it out here. While writing an article he asked us all "What Hip-Hop means to you, and what the Latinos Role in this movement has meant to you, the problems you see, and what you would like to see changed?

So this was my response:
I don't really like to make that segregation in Hip-Hop, being that Hip-Hop was born out of blacks and Latinos in the Bronx. When we say Hip-Hop, Latinos are already included in just those two words. To me Hip-Hop has always been a forum for the people; it was always about talking about what was on our minds and what's around us, even if it was just a emcee at the party over the mic, talking about everyone in the party. It manifested into our very own vehicle for consciousness around us. There was no music at that time that inner city youth can really relate too; I mean the BX was a disaster. Between crime, poverty and illiteracy, no music was really relating to that.

I really believe that the same manifestation is occurring all over the world, I mean Hip-Hop is everywhere, Africa, Mexico, South America, Central America, Europe, Asia, Middle east, etc. It's reflecting the societies it comes from. Latin American Hip-Hop is on the rise, because it's a reflection of their struggles now, just like how Hip-Hop started in the states. I really hope that Hip-Hop in the US will teach them what road not to go down. I always thought we should look at Hip-Hop as if it was our child, because it is, WE MADE THIS! You shouldn't disown your own child for mistakes they made or are making. You gotta let them make those mistakes and let them learn from them to grow. Hip-Hop is growing up; the people are using it to change worlds.

Right now, exploitation of Hip-Hop is on a decline, the music industry is not doing that well, and I think it's because of people not willing waste their money on glitter and gold. These corporations don't have a grasp on what Hip-Hop really is, and down the line it has reflected. They lost it. Everyone is starting to realize it. These big record labels are like the uninvited White boy who can't dance at the hip hop party. I really do believe we are trying to take it back, Underground is bigger than mainstream right now. People are pushing that real Hip-Hop without labels, that's the essence of it. Especially in Latino America. We got Boca Floja out of Mexico, Siete Nieve out of PR, from Cuba, we got Anomino Consejo, Obsesion, Orishas, EPGandB and the list goes on! The whole Cuban Hip-Hop Movement was crazy, and Cuba is the Bronx circa 1973. That's what makes it so real. I believe in Hip-Hop and waiting on it to come full circle. Watch!

Ho, ho, ho, hooooooooooooooo
Ain't nobody,
Love me better……………

When was the last time you was in a club and an old-school 80s joint came on that took everybody back and you just had to sing and belt it out?  Well for me it was this past Monday, August 27th, 2007.  The tune was "Ain't Nobody", its singer: bad ass Chaka Khan, the DJ spinnin' it: Bobbito, AKA, Kool Bob Love.  The place: Apartment. 
I left the club with a sexy, raspy voice, hoarse because for a minute I thought I was Chaka and since the music was so loud, I could scream it out and no one was gonna criticize me cuz they were doing just the same.  One brother next to me got all into it, started rubbing his boonkie on the wall and melting into the song. It was an audio despojo of black and brown peoples. It was beautiful.

My Boricua Brother Bobbito be giving out doses of therapeutic musical healing every last Monday of every month at Apartment in NYC's meat-packing district. 

Bobbito spins at apartment

The sounds which includes everything from latin jazz, to salsa, to hip hop, funk, soul and more, puts the crowd into a dance trance.

 
Photo by Ray Llanos- Apartment

But what's lovelier is to be at a club listening to beautiful music that few people got the know-how to spin and then right in the middle of it, have your ears blessed by the voice of Puerto Rican freedom fighter and former political prisoner, Ms. Dylcia Pagan, dropping some knowledge over the speakers before the music breaks into an off-the hook salsa.

My portrait of Dylcia

DJ Rich Medina, DJ Bobbito and B-Boy legend Crazy Legs chillin' at Apartment

OK, so now I'm gonna tell you a story about Happy Feet.  Happy Feet is a place where people check their egos at the door.  If you're coming to mack and look cute, this ain't the place for you. People come in comfy clothes and in their kicks cuz they know by the end of the night they're gonna be sweaty and straight up funky.  I'm gonna tell you how serious these cats are about dancing.  I watched, carefully observing, as one sista busted out with a thing of baby powder and strategically dusted the floor so her sneakers could glide more to the music. Don't believe me, here's a photo:

You see that dusty ass floor?! Baby powder kids!  This was bugged and beautiful. Reminds me of how as kids we used to get our one piece pajama sleepers with the zipper and the little footsies and do the same baby powder action to slide across the floor. It took a lot of coordination to keep from bustin' ones ass.

I didn't take a picture of my feet, ain't into feet, but I did take a picture of my Happy face and that of my hubby's, Ivan.  What had me so happy?, well where the hell else, besides my own ipod can I hear someone spinnin' the music of not one or two but 4 of my Soul Rebels!:

This is a detail of my Soul Rebels installation that was on the theater doors of El Museo del Barrio. L-R: Eddie Palmieri, Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, Public Enemy, all of whom you will hear at a Happy Feet event.

Yes, again being blessed with the conscious music of my favorite Fela Kuti whose intelligence taught us how to subvert the dance experience, flippin' it on the nyash shakers by teaching about "Sorrow, Tears and blood" in West Africa and any where oppressed people be dancin' to their revolutions.  

Later my Happy Face turned even happier,as I zoned into a music high………..

Don't know about ya, but this coming Sunday, I'm gonna be at the next happy feet, gettin' my happy high on rebel rhythms at Club Element with Bobbito and Rich.  If you wanna be down….. here's the flyer:

And don't forget, the last Monday of each month, Bobbito spins at Apartment………….See ya on the flo'
Yaz

Image: by legendary Joe Conzo, check out http://www.joeconzo.com/html/main.htm for a visual history of hip hop.

www.myspace.com/bobbitogarcia
www.youtube.com/user/bobbitogarcia

www.richmedina.com

www.yasminhernandez.com

People have always given me shit about my love for beautiful men.  "You're too picky Sujeiry.”  "You need to give guys a chance, Sujeiry."  "Don’t be so shallow, Sujeiry." You name it; I've heard it.  So what do you do if you're character and high quality of taste comes into question? Tell those judgmental and blinded fools you're not at all physically discriminating.  Tell them you just want to appreciate the hotness that some superb DNA creates.  Tell them gorgeous people need love too.  If none of these explanations work, turn into your wise abuelita and recite this classic refran: “Para los gustos se hicieron los colores."  It just so happens you love the hot colores.

Love strongly and wisely,

Sujeiry