NUBIAN KNIGHTS NETWORK: Coney Island Street Petals and Knight Skies

QUOTATIONS OF "BLACK"

"Whenever I use BLACK it relates to some history of Africans in that particular place. It’s the idea of the color BLACK as a metaphor, or as a representation of African-Americans. It’s the notion of BLACK- BLACKNESS - and all its other meanings in relation to the history of race..."

- Fred Wilson

"Most of my fortitude to continue doing the work comes from the moral outrage I feel about the injustices that Black people endure disproportionately daily."

- N. Abdul-Wakil

"In the end, what matters is not skin shade but pan-African consciousness. Loving your complexion, your nose, lips, hair length and texture, no matter what the politics or trends decide, and simply be. That's the problem with us (African folks). We're still learning how to love ourselves. So used to glorifying others and putting others first..."

- Dredlocks Tree

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Coney Island Street Petals and Knight Skies

I was headed to Fort Greene Park in Downtown Brooklyn for the last in a series of Soul Summit house music gatherings. There was a light drizzle of water drops in my neighborhood (Coney Island) and I was hoping that wasn't a prelude to something worse. Normally, I don't get upset about the weather, because it is what it is, but I'll tell you... this has been a FUCKING TERRIBLE SUMMER WITH ALL THIS RAIN!!!!! I'm a SUMMER BABY and this rain has FUCKED up so many plans or events in general. Never have I seen or can recall this much rain in a whole summer!

Anyway, I got on the "Q" train and by the time I was arriving at the Church Avenue train stop the rain came down big time!! I got off the train, went to the other side of the platform and brought my butt back home to Coney Island. I felt defeated again by the rain, and I know nature is not being personal with me or anyone else. BUT DAMN!!

Well, so much for Soul Summit. I never made it out to any of them this summer! (and the last Soul Summit, which I got an email about, got rained out as well!)

So, I had my camera with me and I decided to walk from the Coney Island train station home. Along the way I saw these rose petals on the ground. It was crazy! They came from around the block and onto Neptune Avenue where I was walking. I mean... where did these petals come from? Who put them there? Did someone get married? Was this a cultural ceremony or ritual? It was astonishing because I've never seen anything like it. I've always said that even though I have been born and raised in New York City, I still get surprised, astonished and amazed of the things that go on or happen

Well, I pulled out the camera and took some pics...

Literally 10 to 15 minutes later, the sky was darkening and I saw some interesting color from the leftover rays of the sun in the sky. I decided to head over to Kaiser Park so I could find a nice clearing and photograph the sky. It's been a while since I've shot any sky stuff. And truth be told, after seeing BrookLENZ's photography work on his blog (YO! Hit me up BrookLENZ, I wanna talk with U brutha man!), it inspired me to do a little something myself.

Coney Island's Gravesend Bay Facing
The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge

Coney Island Streets

Anyway, as the Johnny Ringo character (played by actor Michael Biehn) said in the spectacular western genre film Tombstone, "I was just foolin' about..."