Happy Juneteenth + 19 Weekend Links!

19 WEEKEND LINKS

• _{Mae Jones is in the LA Times – so proud of & inspired by my friend Kristen, founder of Mae Jones magazine, for her feature today!}

• _{Speaking of, I grew up in Texas. Kristen grew up in Texas. Kristen and her family celebrated Juneteenth every June 19th. I had never even heard of Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in Texas and all slaves being set free, until watching episode 3 of BlackAF a few months ago. How is that possible? Watch the BlackAF episode on Juneteenth (the whole series is hysterical and great!).}

• Blackish did an episode on Juneteenth too (preview here), that I will definitely be watching (season 4, ep 1).

• Pharrell Williams and Kenya Barris, creator of BlackAF and Blackish, are in talks to do a Juneteenth musical with Netflix.

•  _{You can learn more about Juneteenth here + here or most succinctly here.}

•  _{How red food and drink joined the Juneteenth feast.}

• OMG, this pineapple patio umbrella!

• _{Have you heard of the #NewBlackFriday? It’s an initiative to support Black businesses by shopping Black-owned businesses on Fridays + sharing your purchase to amplify the effect by using the hashtag #NewBlackFriday. I definitely did the first part today. 🙂  If you need ideas…}

• _{Check out Estelle Colored Glass, Elora or these glamorous options.}

• _{Or, if you’re in a celebratory mood, check out this list of Black-owned alcohol brands!}

•  _{I loved reading this article about architect Paul R. Williams — the first African American admitted to the American Institute of Architects — and who helped in the design of The Beverly Hills Hotel (he’s responsible for the iconic font and The Polo Lounge!).} 

• _{I can’t wait to watch the new-ish PBS documentary on him that’s streaming for free called Hollywood’s Architect: The Paul R. Williams Story. He designed over 2500 buildings and is responsible for the signature indoor-outdoor living that Southern California is known for.}

• _{More good info on Paul R. Williams here (both heartbreaking and inspiring) and here.} 

• I just learned here that Paul R. Williams is also behind the glamorous Ambassador Hotel (I’ll update that in the post shortly!).

• _{Fun nail art ideas for Pride.}

• My BFFs Oprah and Gayle asked each other in this video: If you could choose one celebrity to quarantine with, who would it be? Tell me in the comments! Spoiler alter: Oprah’s answer is Bradley Cooper and Gayle’s answer is The Rock (if he wasn’t married — haha!) and Maluma.

• See Villa Lewaro, the grand estate of Madam CJ Walker, America’s first self-made millionaire.

• Need a good laugh? Yvonne Orji’s standup special on HBO — Momma I Made It! — will provide it and then some. I knew and loved Yvonne’s character of Molly from Insecure but had no idea she did stand up.

• Speaking of Insecure, did you watch the season finale? OMG!!!

Photos 1,2,3  by Jessica Castro for Mae Jones; Photo 4: An illustration by Alexis Franklin of Paul Revere Williams based on a 1951 portrait via Architect Magazine