Because You Should Know Why…
Derek and I rode around the city today like we often do. We had a few things we had to do for work but more importantly, to me, we had a few deliveries for #hoodfairy & co. As we were riding along he asked me, “why hoodfairy?”I thought he already knew the answer to this question. I’m glad he asked, it was nice to say it out loud, talk through it. He captured my response and it’s the perfect way to start this blogging journey.
Hoodfairy emerged out of the fact that in my adult life I’ve really embraced learning about what the earth provides us. Knowing how to use these gifts is not always common knowledge. That’s why I really enjoy learning and teaching others what I can; from foods to medicines, to closed loop cycles and healing and things like that. I want all of that to be accessible to our people because most of us are stuck within the industry standard and suffering from it. I wanted to make the knowledge attainable by calling it hoodfairy to reclaim and reframe a false narrative about where our people are mostly from. In the hood, it’s assumed nothing good can come, especially from Black women who are regarded as “too hood”, “too ghetto” or “not enough.” I think there is magic in being from the hood. We are always making something out of nothing (magic), usually by circumstance not by choice, and we are really good at it.
Being hood the way it’s characterized today, to me, is a misnomer. In thinking about it, I grew up from humble beginnings and my mother, a strong black woman, created a happy childhood for me despite not having the American Dream and struggling most times to make ends meet. Regardless of that, she did the best for me, sacrificing to make boring Saturdays fun, summer’s where we definitely couldn’t afford Disney World still an amazing time, birthday parties memorable and even prom night magical. Despite being in the hood, she made my life amazing. I know there are so many others who can relate to that. Being hood or from the hood to me is definitely not a bad thing, it’s an amazing thing, a magical thing. So I wanted to marry those two things, hood and magic, or at least it seemed natural to marry those two things in a way that spreads and encourages other people to use what the earth and life has given them in abundance, to their advantage. I am a #hoodfairy and excited to spread the magic to everyone.
In fact, that’s the direction I’m going to take these posts. There is so much I’ve learned over the last 12 years since Derek and I have been together, especially the last 10 here in LA and there is still so much I’m learning every day. What I know, I want you to know too so we can all create incredible stories that last as long as we are remembered. This is the first of many and I hope you continue to enjoy.
Thanks for reading!
Sprinkle a little magic today,
#hoodfairy
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