ordinary thoughts: what’s your story?
Hi familia! Since we started this journey with you all nearly two months ago, our community has more than tripled in size (!!!). We’ve had the pleasure of meeting some of you through Instagram DMs and emails. To say that we’re building meaningful relationships with our community is an understatement. They’ve been creatively inspiring, spiritually healing, and intellectually stimulating.
That being said, we’d love to invite you (or your colleague, friend, or family) to share space with us on Ordinary Thoughts, the podcast. We want to learn your narrative – what’s the story behind you, the artist, and you, the 9-5 hustler? What keeps you going? What’s getting in the way?
If you’re down to share your story with us, simply email hello@narrativemedia.co and we’ll handle the rest!
- Isaiah & Cybele
why we founded narrative media co.
As Black & Brown people, we know that storytelling keeps our culture alive. A strong narrative can connect us, spark meaningful conversations, and inspire positive change. But, whose story is being told?
stories that have our attention
These Poets Define What Love and Latinidad Mean to Them
Love has a way of gathering humanity. When I think about what it takes to be a good global citizen, the word “love” is at the center of that tree. If our tree for love had branches, they would remind us that love has infinite arms that stretch all over the world: Love for each other, love for the land, love for our faith and our God. Love is always in the room when we choose to evolve past our fears, when we choose to lean into freedom.
This year, I have chosen to focus on how love liberates and allows us to be brave and confront our truth. For me, confronting my truth means to acknowledge that this land is the Indigenous tierra of Turtle Island, the ancestral name for what is now called North America. On that belief, we must honor all those who have been stripped of their history, their humanity and their land. And we must remember our people as both living and present, if not by embodiment, then by spirit. They are always among us, and they will always return.
Is Artificial Intelligence Really Racist? It’s Time To Confront Our Biggest AI Fears
The first articles that come up when you Google “artificial intelligence” and “Black people” are concerning, to say the least. The New York Times asked, “Who Is Making Sure the A.I. Machines Aren’t Racist?” in a story about two Black former Google researchers and AI experts who had been forced out of the company for ringing alarm bells about how this tech was being built. And Forbes put the question more bluntly: “Is Artificial Intelligence Anti-Black?” Another story: “How Artificial Intelligence Can Deepen Racial and Economic Inequities.” The Guardian wrote about the “rise of racist robots” tracking “how AI is learning all our worst impulses.” NPR covered “how AI could perpetuate racism, sexism and other biases in society.” So it’s safe to say if you are Black and a woman like me (and the rest of the Unbothered team), artificial intelligence doesn’t seem like it’s for us. Not only that, it feels like its growing popularity and prevalence will actively harm us. And yet, AI is everywhere. Its integration into our daily lives feels unavoidable. That future we’ve been dreading with AI? Well, it’s here (hey, Siri). The inevitability of AI is why I felt like we couldn’t ignore it. This Black History Month, I wanted us to look forward with a Black futurist mindset instead of solely referring to the past (which is also important) and since, at least for me, a future with AI feels terrifying, why not confront those fears head on?
Making the Revolution Irresistible
We are in the midst of a global renaissance, a revolution. Revolutionary art demands that structures be questioned, it calls on individuals to think about the world around them politically and forces the observer to dare to imagine a fairer world. It has become clear that art is not only a medium, but an important tool for meaningful critique, reform, and reimagination.
Art influences society by opening minds to portals of thought that might not otherwise be accessible. Painting, sculpture, music, literature and the other arts are often considered to be the repository of a society’s collective memory, and artists bring this to the awareness of those who care to see. In this way, art affects the fundamental sense of self. Art humanizes both its creator and its audience, allowing us to understand issues beyond facts and figures.
in other news...
Politics
Ex-Honduran president extradited to U.S. on drug trafficking charges
U.S. states move to regulate, criminalize AI
ICJ hears arguments on Gaza genocide from 52 countries and three international organizations this week
Markets
Racial Minority Groups Increased Their Homeownership Rates While Still Facing Significant Homebuying Challenges
Bitcoin ETF trading volume hits multi-week high as bull market 'in play'
Stocks fall as Wall Street braces for Nvidia’s major earnings report
Tech
OpenAI joins race to make videos from text prompts
Adobe's New AI Assistant Is Designed to Read PDFs for You
Amazon sued over Prime Video Ads
Sports
pa' la cultura
cultural trivia
Award season is upon us 🏆
Question: Where was the first non-native settler in New York from?
Germany
Dominican Republic
Puerto Rico
Netherlands
song of the week
Song of the Week is chosen from subscriber submissions, as we pay close attention to the latest exceptional output of music from artists who remain slightly under the radar.
Song of the Week:
Sorrow - Konyikeh. Konyikeh was born in London and raised in Essex, UK.
words of wisdom
Toni Cade Bambar was radical writer, filmmaker, and activist (1939-1995).
Cultural Trivia Answer
The answer, ladies and gentlemen, is… *Drum roll please*
2. Dominican Republic
Sailor-turned-merchant Juan Rodriguez arrived downtown in 1613 from his home on the island now known as the Dominican Republic, making him the first visitor to spend a night in Manhattan, researchers say.
He also became the first non-Indian to settle permanently in the city, the first Dominican resident, the first Latino and the first settler with African blood, according to the City University of New York’s Dominican Studies Institute.