Year: 2017

From the early 1900s to the late 1930s, African American sociologist Monroe Nathan Work researched every known lynching in the United States. Now, his tireless work has become the inspiration for an interactive map that offers a striking visualization of racist domestic terrorism spanning decades. 

The Monroe Work Today research group launched a map earlier this year that allows users to discover the roughly 4,770 people of color lynched in the United States from the 1830s to the 1960s. By clicking on each colored point on the map, users can read information about each known individual, including their name and the circumstances of their lynching.

“Before this website, it was impossible to search the web and find an accurate scope of the history of American lynching. The names have always been kept safe, but distant, in old archives and scholarly books and dissertations,” the website explains. “This site leaves the record open for all Americans, especially high school students who want to learn more than what their textbook has to say.” 

The data reveals that black men were the most lynched group of people among the documented victims, usually due to mob violence after criminal accusations. The map, which users can view based on region, also reveals the lynchings of Latinx people, Asians, Italians and Native Americans. 

View the entire interactive map here.

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Source: HuffPost Black Voices

We’re all familiar with Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, but did you know there’s also a National Single Parent Day? 

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan officially designated March 21 as a day of acknowledgement for the hard work of single parents nationwide. 

Three decades later, too few of us are aware of the holiday, including most single parents themselves. In a new heartwarming ad from Angel Soft, single dads and moms are told about the holiday and share what it’s like to raise their kids without any additional help. 

“He is the coolest kid ever,” a single dad named Jonathon says of his three-year-old son. “[But] it was a new world to me: the teething, the crying at night, the unexplained rashes.” 

All three parents say rent and childcare are expenses that weigh heavily on them. Midway through the ad, Angel Soft presents each parent with a surprise that will definitely lighten their loads. Watch the video above to see how it all plays out. 

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Source: HuffPost Black Voices

A man accidentally shot himself in the stomach and decided to blame it on a black man who didn’t exist. 

Arthur Palombo, 20, told police that he went to Williamsbridge Oval Park in the Bronx on Wednesday to sell an old revolver to someone he had met a few weeks earlier, according to the New York Daily News. Palombo reported that the potential buyer, a bald black man, refused to pay the $100 asking price and shot him.

After Palombo, who is Hispanic, was taken to the hospital, NYPD searched the park and found his revolver.

Investigators questioned the man again when he was released from the hospital on Thursday. Palombo recanted his story and admitted that his gun went off while it was in his jacket pocket.

Cops arrested Palombo and he was charged with weapons possession and filing a false report.

He was released Friday on $10,000 bail, according to the city’s Department of Correction.

In November, an Ohio woman and her passenger, both attorneys, used a similar lie to blame a car crash on a nonexistent “black male who lost control of the vehicle” and fled the scene, according to WKYC. Surveillance footage outside of a bar less than a mile away from the collision showed that the two were actually drunk. Both were charged with obstruction and sentenced to 10 days in jail. 

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Source: HuffPost Black Voices

Before my mother was a King, she was a Scott from Marion, Alabama, the daughter of resilient, righteous parents, Obadiah and Bernice, who drove the bus that transported my mother and other black students to school. Coretta Scott was born to a woman who supported community.

Before my mother was a King, she climbed trees and wrestled with boys. And won. Even as a child, Coretta Scott demonstrated that her gender would not deter her success, nor did it detract from her strength.

Before she was a King, my mother was a civil rights activist, a member of the NAACP and the Race Relations and Civil Liberties Committees at Antioch College. Coretta Scott was determined that her life would serve to lift others. She was already a woman of great character.

Before my mother was a King, she was a gifted vocalist and musician, whose skill and academia garnered her a scholarship to the prestigious New England Conservatory for Music in Boston. Coretta Scott’s path to Boston exemplified her commitment to being a woman of excellence.

Before she was a King, my mother was a peace advocate, a courageous leader and an accomplished artist. When my father, Martin Luther King, Jr., encountered her in Boston, he encountered a whole woman, a woman of substance, a woman who, as the traditional black Baptist church still sings, had “a charge to keep, a God to glorify.”

Before she was a King, my mother was a peace advocate, a courageous leader and an accomplished artist.

Before she was a King, my mother had a purpose; and her marriage to a man who would become one of the most celebrated leaders in history further propelled her toward that purpose.

As we commemorate Women’s History Month, my mother’s life continues to be an extraordinary example of how to live for something larger than ourselves and of how women carry purpose, power and progress. Her life before she met my father contributed to the foundation for them to build a life and co-labor in the movement together. Of her, he said “She saw the greatness of the movement and had a unique willingness to sacrifice herself for its continuation.”

Her life with my father was a remarkable display of consistency to purpose, as Coretta Scott King not only excelled as a wife and mother, but also utilized her diplomacy and gift as a singer to advance the movement. My parents were partners and she was a woman at the forefront of activism for civil and human rights.

After my father’s assassination in 1968, my mother’s life without my father would become the clearest and most prevailing testament to the wisdom and fortitude which had been cultivated in her since birth. That same year, she founded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in my father’s birth city, Atlanta. More than a monument, it is the official living memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr. and was established to provide education and training on his nonviolent philosophy and strategy.

With The King Center as her base, my mother pressed on to fulfill a role that changed lives and legislation. She was a woman who refused to surrender the reigns of what she knew to be her assignment, even when male civil rights and business leaders tried to convince her that she should leave the work of building her husband’s legacy to them. She began her journey as the Architect of the King Legacy.

This woman’s work continued. As founding President, Chair, and CEO of The King Center, Coretta Scott King tirelessly carried the message of nonviolence and the dream of the Beloved Community throughout the globe. She, along with other dedicated workers, committed herself to the dream of a MLK Holiday becoming a reality. The dream was realized. The Holiday solidified my father’s worldwide influence and increased the desire of many to learn more about his life and teachings. Consider that at the time of my father’s death, a poll found him to be “the most hated man in America.” My mother’s efforts as the Architect of the King Legacy changed the way the masses viewed Dr. King.

Imagine where Dr. King’s legacy would be had Coretta Scott not been purposed to be a King.

Imagine where the King Legacy would be had Coretta Scott not been purposed to be a King.

Imagine if she had not been a woman on fire for social justice and for nonviolent social change.

Imagine if she had listened to those who wanted to put her in a gender box and limit her ability to lead as a legacy-builder.

Imagine if she had not been willing to be arrested by and for something greater than herself.

She left her mark. Women and girls, and all of humanity, are better for it. The best way to express our gratitude, during Women’s History Month and beyond, is by embracing the philosophy that my mother believed was the path to building the Beloved Community.

In this critical moment for our global community, let us live nonviolence. The principles and steps of nonviolence, which The King Center calls Nonviolence365™, will help us build a more peaceful, just, humane world, beginning with each of us. As my mother stated, “People who think nonviolence is easy don’t realize that it’s a spiritual discipline that requires a great deal of strength, growth, and purging of the self so that one can overcome almost any obstacle for the good of all without being concerned about one’s own welfare.” In her honor and for the holistic health of our global community, I encourage humanity to choose nonviolence. 

Read Coretta Scott King’s memoir, My Life, My Love, My Legacy, to learn more about this extraordinary woman during Woman’s History Month.

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Source: HuffPost Black Voices

Racial issues continue to fester in America, but this has not instilled a sense of despair or hopelessness among black millennials, a new study finds. In fact, researchers say they have found the opposite.

Data from a collaborative study conducted by the University of Texas and Hispanic advertising agency Richards/Lerma released on Monday reveals that black millennials are most optimistic about their future when compared to Hispanic, Asian and white millennials. The study, titled “Millennials Deconstructed,” also has other fascinating findings about where millennials ― young adults between the ages of 18-34 ― who make up America’s most racially diverse generation in history, stand when it comes to having faith in the American dream and their ability to succeed in the future. 

Researchers ― who say the study was designed to decode the relationship millennials have with America ― say some of the results were surprising, even noting in the report that “the data reached out and smacked us with untold cultural stories that challenge popular notions about each race and ethnicity.”

Researchers, who looked at over 1,000 respondents, say that black millennials in particular show some of the study’s most interesting and counterintuitive discoveries, writing: “A reasonable person may expect to uncover a sense of despair, apathy, or hopelessness. In this case, a reasonable person would be wrong.”

“We found the opposite,” it continues. “With a heightened sense of control over their future, [black millennials] have the most faith that their hard work will pay off.”  

Pointing to the role of black activists in calling out systemic racism and white privilege, researchers say some may interpret this as “showing disrespect for America, apathy, playing the victim [and/or] asking for handouts.” Instead, rather than reporting feelings of neglect or disrespect, 83 percent of black millennials say they are proud to be an American. And although black millennials (67 percent) are closely tied with Hispanic millennials (66 percent) in being less likely to say they are satisfied with life when compared to Asian (71 percent) and white (71 percent) millennials, most black millennials (61 percent) hold on to a sense of hope and optimism rather than feelings of apathy.

“This suggests their vocalization of injustice isn’t at odds with respect for their nation,” the study says of black millennials. “In fact, it’s possible their motivation to speak up is because of their national pride, because they hold their country to a high standard.”

“Our communities are resilient and innovative, often making a way out of no way.”
Dante Barry, co-founder of Million Hoodies

Researchers say that they expected black millennials to be the most likely group to reject the concept of the American dream, which is traditionally defined in the study as “the ability to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative.” However, the study showed that, although 55 percent admit their race has made it more difficult to attain the American dream, black millennials (49 percent) are more likely than any other segment to say they still strive for it.  

The study also showed that, compared to other groups, black millennials have the strongest sense of control over their future (56 percent), place more value in hard work (59 percent) and are more likely to believe that people can achieve their dreams if they work hard enough (59 percent).

This doesn’t come as a total surprise to 28-year-old Dante Barry, a black millennial activist and co-founder of the social justice organization Million Hoodies, whose unrelenting work with black millennials around the country has show him the resilience that any of them possess. He says this strengthens his faith in their collective ability to effect positive change.

“At Million Hoodies, I get to work with hundreds of young Black people around the country, and I am reminded every day about what our communities have to do in order to live a decent life,” he told The Huffington Post. “Our communities are resilient and innovative, often making a way out of no way. Black people can combat systemic racism in community with other black people.”

Another notable finding shows that it is Hispanic millennials who, despite feeling misrepresented and blamed as cultural intruders, are reported to “be the most traditionally American Millennial segment, adherents of classic American virtues with a high level of energy to build a better future for the country.” The study shows that Hispanic millennials have the greatest sense of American pride (54 percent), which stands in strong contrast to white millennials, who were reported as having the least (40 percent).

“[Hispanic millennials] are perhaps the most traditional keepers and seekers of the American dream,” Chaille Alcorn, the brand planning director for Richards/Lerma, told HuffPos. “In other words, ‘making America great again’ requires Hispanics.” 

While white millennials are tied with Asian millennials in being most likely to say they are satisfied with life (71 percent) than black or Hispanic millennials, they rank the least optimistic about the future. They also report the lowest levels of enthusiasm or interest about their future, the American dream, achieving financial comfortability, owning a home, getting a college or advanced degree, traveling, helping others, and experiencing and learning new things.

“This lower-grade energy and excitement about the future and decreased faith in the American dream suggests that it will be the ethnic minority segments who contribute the most energy and optimism toward America’s future,” Alcorn says. “Without minority millennials influencing the future of the country, the outlook appears bleak.”  

The importance of young people of color, especially at a time when overt racism and xenophobia run rampant, is certainly not lost on 27-year-old Rhonesha Byng, a businesswoman and founder of HerAgenda, a digital media platform for millennial women. She, like Barry, wasn’t taken aback by the study’s findings because she knows black millennials have “no other choice” but to persevere, place value in hard work and push for change. 

“If we give in and feel despair on a daily basis, that won’t solve anything,” she told HuffPost. “These systems were not built with us in mind, they weren’t built for us to succeed, so when there’s another black person excelling we have to champion them, and if you’re that black person succeeding you have to keep going.” 

“Nothing is handed to us,” she added. “We are already taught from a young age that we have to work twice as hard, and I believe now more than ever we have access to more examples of black success and black excellence.”

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Source: HuffPost Black Voices

Actress Nathalie Emmanuel recently opened up about the damaging nature of seeing predominantly white casts on television while growing up. 

In an interview with Hunger magazine, the “Game of Thrones” star, who is half Dominican said that she didn’t see people who reflected her racial identity during her childhood.

“For me, when I was growing up, not seeing anyone on television that looked like me or that I could identify with was really hard, and that can affect someone’s self-esteem hugely,” Emmanuel — who plays Missandei, a translator on “Game of Thrones” — told Hunger. 

Emmanuel, who also played Ramsey, a computer hacker in “Fast and Furious 7” lauded the movie’s casting for its exemplary diversity. But where the rest of the Hollywood ― whose diversity issue was bought to light in 2016 during the #OscarsSoWhite controversy ― is concerned, she said that despite the attempts at diverse casting, she doesn’t know how long-standing these efforts will be. 

“Will it be that they just do the one film and then it goes back?” she questioned. “If you go up for anything, you know there is always a cast of people and a small number of them are [from] a minority.

“The majority of the cast will be white with a few roles from a different ethnicity. Ultimately that’s not the world we live in,” she said. 

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Source: HuffPost Black Voices

In 2014, photographer Émilie Régnier photographed women in the beauty salons of Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Her goal was simple: to give her subjects space to flaunt their fabulous hair. 

The images’ impressions, however, aren’t quite so unambiguous. “For black women, hair is political,” Régnier told The Huffington Post. With her series, dubbed “Hair,” the photographer hoped to explore the influence of African-American culture and media on West African women, as expressed through the aesthetic ritual of getting dolled up.

“There has been a big movement toward natural black hair, and away from wigs or anything artificial,” the photographer expressed. “But personally, I don’t think these women are thinking about the political aspect, they just want to look good.” 

When Régnier first entered a local salon, she expected to embark on a photo project revolving around black women who used products to bleach their skin. However, her vision changed course after she flipped through the look books on-site, which flaunted various ‘dos for customers to adopt and improve upon. 

“I’ve been in West Africa for almost eight years,” Régnier explained. “Once a place becomes familiar, you don’t see everything you used to. But I suddenly noticed, these women had amazing hair.” Beyond pure style, the hairstyles illuminated the myriad cultural influences shaping the dominant trends, as well as the physical standards of beauty women around the world feel compelled to embody.

In Ivory Coast, women undergo a variety of treatments and procedures to qualify as a “go” ― or a good-looking girl ― Régnier explained. “Hairstyle is the privilege of the ‘go-choc,’” she said in an artist statement. As a result, women often invest their savings in revamping their tresses, through highlights, extensions, dye, and wigs. 

Régnier saw hair as a vehicle of communication, expressing unspoken understandings of identity, beauty and power for many local women. As the artist put it: “I tried to demystify the direct African-American influence, the part owed to globalization, and the part relating to the African decoding of information seen on television.” 

Régnier was inspired by iconic Nigerian photographer Okhai Ojeikere ― who chronicled Nigerian women’s serpentine braided styles ― as well as Ivory Coast’s local look book photographers, who had created their own brand of glamour shot. She reached out to one of said professional photographers and asked to become his assistant.

In the style of most Ivorian street photographers, Régnier traversed the city with a camera around her neck, snapping the daring styles that women might later want to don for themselves. Such photos are usually then sold for around one dollar each, to hairdressers who put them into their look books for future clients to peruse and select.

Although the series is not overtly political, Régnier captures moments of freedom, confidence, creative expression and self-love for women of color. Given the beauty industry’s proclivity toward aesthetic standards of whiteness, the series can’t help but take a political stance. “As a woman of color myself, I can’t help but think of colonialism,” Régnier said. “The way women were made to want to have blonde hair.”

Today, however, Régnier observed that her clients seem somewhat removed from the political underpinnings of their style choices. “Women of West Africa aren’t thinking about white colonization that occurred 60 years ago when they wear a wig. They reclaim it,” she said.

The series frames women of color’s hairstyles as existing somewhere between frivolous style and political statement. Political influence, personal taste, cultural trends, and social status often converge to yield a chic bob, mohawk or weave. As the artist said: “All the hairstyles represent a fusion between African-American influence and African interpretations.”

Although Régnier’s photos speak volumes about the relationship between black women and hair, when the artist asked her subjects about why they chose certain styles, the responses were relatively straightforward. “They wanted to look like Rihanna or Beyoncé,” Régnier said. “Even that was a bit too plain for them.”

“From Mobutu to Beyoncé” by Émilie Régnier is at the Bronx Documentary Center from April 15 through June 4.

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Source: HuffPost Black Voices

In the early 1990s, painter Kerry James Marshall created a series of paintings depicting black love ― a subject that, despite being glaringly simple, was largely absent from the annals of art history.

In one 1992 painting, “Slow Dance,” a black couple slow dances together in their living room as music notes swirl around them. Marshall immortalizes this romantic moment, exceptional in its ordinariness, magical because it’s mundane. With his paintbrush, Marshall sought to normalize the banal elements of black life that are nearly always overlooked by art, film, and cultural representation. The basic gesture of depicting black couples hanging out was something revolutionary. 

Artist Leslie Barlow had Marshall on the mind when she embarked on her most recent series “Loving” in 2015. The mixed media paintings depict interracial couples based around the Minnesota area, where Barlow lives and works. The series takes its name from the landmark Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. 

Fifty years feels wildly short when considering this is how long interracial marriage has been legal in the United States. And still, prejudice regarding interracial couples endured long past the Loving ruling. “I think a lot of people forget that there is this history of discrimination, and it didn’t just disappear when the Supreme Court banned anti-discrimination laws,” Barlow told The Huffington Post. “I wish that was the case, but racism is totally alive and well in this country.”

This inequity is painfully clear, for example, in the history of art, where oil paint has been used to tell certain kids of stories about certain kinds of people for centuries, leaving whole populations unrepresented and seemingly overlooked. “My work is about having agency over the representation of my story and stories like mine,” Barlow said. “It’s a sharing of experiences we don’t often see.” 

Barlow, who is mixed race, began making work that grappled with themes of race and identity while in graduate school. Her earlier work mainly depicted members of her immediate family, but with “Loving,” Barlow hoped to create equally personal works for a larger community.

In particular, she was interested in the local Minneapolis–Saint Paul population, which still lags behind most other U.S. states in terms of race and representation. “The lack of diversity in Minnesota did have an impact on my racial development and ideas of what was ‘normal,’” Barlow said. She resolved to illustrate interracial couples, still largely erased from the cultural archives, hoping the intimate depictions could steer viewers away from binary methods of thinking about race that operate primarily in terms of black and white. 

For the series, Barlow selected couples and families in the local vicinity, most of whom she knew through personal connections. “I wanted the paintings to meet these families where they are,” she said. She began by photographing her subjects in a space they felt comfortable ― whether at home or roaming the neighborhood. She then rendered the photographic images onto un-stretched canvasses or wooden panels, starting with acrylic underpainting and adding layers of oil paint and pastel. 

Barlow also experimented with sewing and collaging fabric onto the works, subtly alluding to the traditions of quilting and tapestry. “The quilt is a coming together of these disparate materials to make something beautiful, whole, uniquely its own thing,” she said. “It ends up being a metaphor for these people coming together to become one family. Quilts also bring up these ideas of domesticity and family, the warmth of that.”

Although the Loving case is the impetus for the series, the paintings themselves depict couples and families ― hanging out, cuddling, drinking a glass of wine ― just being, together. “I want each painting to be unique, but to also have this thing in common of feeling normal,” she said.The artist communicated with all of her subjects beforehand to agree on an environment and activity that represented their daily lives. “The paintings felt mundane in the best of ways. That’s what I want, to normalize these images.” 

Although race and identity have long been ideas central to Barlow’s artistic project, they are especially necessary right now, when racist and anti-immigrant rhetoric are becoming commonplace under President Trump’s administration. “I don’t shy away from my art being political,” Barlow said. “I do believe in the power of images and social change. I think, as an artist, it’s my duty to reflect the world and what’s going on within it. I feel it’s important I continue to push that.”

Leslie Barlow’s “Loving” is on view until March 25, 2017 at Public Functionary in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

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Source: HuffPost Black Voices

Got joy?

Sometimes it can feel hard to keep up a happy state of mind. The emotion, like all the others, isn’t always permanent. But there are ways to keep it up or boost it when you need it ― and luckily, they’re simpler than you think.

In honor of the International Day of Happiness, we’ve culled expert tips, research and just a few feel-good suggestions of ways to boost your mood. Take a look below:

1. Log some time with your furry friends.

Play fetch with Fido or sneak in a few cuddles with your kitten. Interacting with your pets can release oxytocin in the brain ― you know, the “warm and fuzzy” hormone ― resulting in that joyous feeling.

2. Count your blessings.

There’s nothing like a little thankfulness to boost your mood. Research shows expressing gratitude can make you happier. Try writing down three things you’re thankful for at the end of each night.

3. Remind yourself how great you are.

PSA: You are awesome — you just gotta believe it for yourself. Studies show self-acceptance is crucial to a happier life, but it’s a habit we barely practice. 

4. Call your mom.

Pick up that phone. Research suggests hearing your mom’s voice can help reduce stress. And less stress means a happier you.

5. Meditate, meditate, meditate.

The list of meditation benefits seems endless, but perhaps one of the more positive perks is what the practice can do for your mood. Research shows that allowing yourself a few moments of zen-like escape each day may make you happier.

6. Listen to music.

Admit it: There’s nothing quite like a solo jam session, and apparently science agrees. Research shows that trying to boost your mood while listening to music actually can help lift you to a more positive state. Press play ASAP.

7. While you’re at it, listen to sad music.

No, really. Studies also suggest listening to sad music can help boost positive feelings. (We just see this as another excuse to listen to Adele on repeat.)

8. Give back.

We didn’t get to where we are without a little help, so why not extend that same generosity to someone else? Not only will your kindness influence others, studies show it’ll also make you happier, too.

9. Hang out with someone who is happy.

Joy really is contagious. Research shows the more you surround yourself with positive people, the happier you’ll feel. Time to go catch up with your BFF?

10. Watch a funny video.

Find something that tickles you, watch and let the giggles ensue. Laughter can reduce stress, after all.

11. Plan a vacation.

The anticipation for a trip is almost as good as the trip itself. Prepping for a vacation has been shown to increase our happiness levels, the New York Times reported. The warm sun or exciting slopes are just an added bonus.

12. Whip up a good meal.

Feeling blue? Tap into your inner chef and hit the kitchen. Researchers say people who employ creative process in small ways ― like coming up with a new pasta recipe for dinner ― feel happier overall.

13. Get in a good workout.

Consider this our love letter to exercise. Not only is it good for your body, but it’s equally as beneficial to your brain. When you work up a sweat, you release endorphins, immediately upping your happiness levels. Go ahead, get moving.

14. Spend money on experiences.
A fulfilling life doesn’t lie in our possessions, it’s found in the experiences we have and the people we share them with. If you’re going to spend a little moolah, spend it on a trip, a concert or any other experience that will bring you joy. Science says you’ll be happier in the long run.

15. Challenge yourself.

Work for that promotion or take on that marathon. It’s a lovely treat for your mind, according to Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project. “Challenge and novelty are key elements of happiness,” Rubin wrote in Real Simple. “The brain is stimulated by surprise, and successfully dealing with an unexpected situation gives a powerful sense of satisfaction.”

16. Fake a smile.

We get it — smiling may be the last thing you want to do when you’re in a sour mood, but it could help to turn that frown upside-down. Research shows faking a smile can help elevate our mood, even if we’re not genuinely into it right away. Talk about the power of suggestion.

17. Go outside.

Take advantage of your backyard or stroll a park you’ve never been to before and thank yourself later. One study found that going for a brief walk in nature can help improve your mood and alleviate stress.

18. Make some new friends.

Research shows making friends increases our happiness and well-being. Join a club, talk to your coworker or strike up a conversation in the grocery line — you never know what kinds of new connections you can make.

19. Drink a glass of milk.
Dairy contains tryptophan, an essential amino acid that helps create serotonin, the “happy” chemical in the brain. Milk: It not only does the body good, it does the brain good too.

20. Take a cozy bath (like Barry the dog).

If that isn’t the look of happiness, we don’t know what is. Plus, research suggests that warm baths make us feel warm on the inside, too.

21. Get enough sleep.

More sleep = A happier you. Too little shuteye slows down our cognitive processes and increases the risk of depression. Try hitting the pillow 30 minutes earlier each night or taking a nap in the middle of the day.

22. Embrace the aging process.

Most people wish they could avoid aging, but studies show that we’re happier as we get older. Experts theorize this could be because the older we get, the more we reflect on positive experiences. Sounds like a great reason to love those birthdays.

23. Have a good cry.

It sounds counterintuitive, but it may actually work. Research has found that crying can lead to positive increase in mood following the flow of tears. Those in the study reported feeling better than they did before they had a reason to cry.

24. Follow the “golden ratio.”

This theory, developed by positive psychologist Barbara Fredrickson, holds that for every one negative experience you have, you should have three positive ones in order to achieve happiness. Makes sense to us!

25. Show your appreciation for someone else over email.

Technology isn’t all bad. Take a break from your overflowing inbox and switch gears to a different kind of email. “We fight so hard against the negative and we forget to tell people how powerful a two-minute positive e-mail could be,” Harvard-trained researcher and Before Happiness author Shawn Achor told Oprah in 2014.

26. Give someone else a compliment.

Your generosity will make your day and their’s. Looking for a way to give praise that isn’t superficial? Here are some ideas.

27. Find the perfect temperature.

The weather outside has a direct influence on how we feel on the inside. One study found that happiness is maximized at an approximate 57 degrees Fahrenheit.

28. Keep a one-sentence journal.

Sometimes the most mundane moments turn out to be the loveliest source of happiness. Research shows recording these everyday events may make us happier later on because we appreciate them a lot more when they’re revisited. In other words, if you ate a scrumptious chocolate brownie on Wednesday, write it down.

30. Stop to smell the flowers, literally.

Eau de Happiness? One study on how scent affects joy found that participants who were in a floral-scented room selected three times as many happiness-related terms than negative terms.

31. Have sex.

Here’s a good excuse (not that you need one) to hit the sheets: Research suggests having sex can reduce stress. Of course, how much is up to you. But worth a try, eh?

32. Just TRY being happy.

Can you think yourself to joy? Some researchers believe so. According to two experimental studies, taking happiness into your own hands can boost your well-being.

33. Try to cut back on work.

Residents of Denmark, one of the happiest countries in the world, spend less time than most Americans in the office. Only 2 percent of Danes work long hours, which is categorized as 50 hours per week. And full-time workers still devote 66 percent of their day to self-care, like eating and sleeping. Maybe do as the Danes do?

34. Get spiritual.

Spirituality and religion have been linked to higher happiness and well-being, according to a review of studies on spirituality and health. Sometimes it helps to know you’re connected to something greater than yourself.

35. Celebrate little victories.

There’s power in small moments. Whether it’s getting an answer correct at trivia or catching your favorite song on the radio, indulge in the little “wins” of your day. “I think when we take time to notice the things that go right — it means we’re getting a lot of little rewards throughout the day,” Susan Weinschenk, author of How to Get People to Do Stuff, previously told HuffPost. “That can help with our moods.”

36. Think of happy memories.

Research shows nostalgia makes us happier and more optimistic. Time to dig out those old yearbooks?

37. Skip the small talk and go deep.

Anyone can talk about the weather. Let yourself get a little more connected and have a substantial conversation with someone — research shows it will boost happiness and well-being.

38. Recite a positive mantra.

You can either create your own or find one online (personally, we like these encouraging words). Search for a phrase that’s going to bring meaning to you. Research shows having a mantra can help with bad feelings. Find yours!

39. Spend money on someone else.

Investing in other people really does pay off — for them and for you. According to one 2008 study, spending money on others promotes your own happiness.

40. Become a better listener.

How much do your really pay attention to your conversations? Researchers theorize the more we listen, the happier and more meaningful our lives are — particularly within our relationships. As Epictetus once said, “We have two ears and one mouth so we can listen twice as much as we speak.”

41. Take a selfie.

The next time someone judges you for taking one of those infamous front-facing photos, show them this: A 2016 study found that selfies actually increase confidence and make you happier. Boom.

42. Talk to someone IRL.
Put down that phone and log some real FaceTime. Human beings are social creatures (and not just on the internet), so it’s time we tap into those resources. Research shows we simply feel better when we’re around other people.

43. Lower your expectations.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever had a lackluster New Year’s Eve or Valentine’s Day. It’s no secret that expectation can lead to disappointment if the bar is set too high (in fact, research backs this up). We’re not implying that you should set the bar low, but sometimes realistic ideas make you happier in the long run. 

44. Look on the bright side.

There are perks to seeing life through a glass half full. Try looking for a silver lining in any situation. Optimists are not only more joyful, they also may live longer. That’s a lot of extra time to be happy.

45. Finally, just look at this smiling face.

Give one (or several) of these a try the next time you’re feeling low. Happiness looks good on you.

A previous version of this article appeared in March 2015.

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Source: HuffPost Black Voices

A Confederate flag was hoisted up a flagpole attached to a car near two NCAA tournament games in South Carolina on Sunday, just two years after the state was permitted to host the sporting events thanks to the flag’s removal from state grounds.

The controversial red and blue flag, which is today seen by many as a symbol of racism and to others one of Southern pride, was the handiwork of members of the South Carolina Secessionist Party, local Greenville station WYFF reported.

In addition to the large flag that was seen waving near Greenville’s Bon Secours Wellness Arena where the men’s games were taking place, protesters were seen carrying the flag on the streets below.

“People tend to mistake this for a race thing. It’s not about race. It’s about history and it being erased. And it is being erased,” an unidentified white demonstrator told a reporter, according to sports news outlet SB Nation.

Greenville Police Chief Ken Miller, speaking to WYFF, said that no laws were being broken and that the protesters reached out to see if they needed a permit to protest before hitting the streets. The protesters also said they wanted to pressure lawmakers to speed up the process of putting the Confederate flag that flew on state house grounds in a relic museum.

In a statement, Dan Gavitt, the NCAA’s senior vice president of basketball, assured that the flags and other related symbols will not be allowed on the venue’s property.

“No symbols that compromise that commitment will be permitted to be displayed on venue property that the tournament controls,” he said. “Freedom of speech activities on public property in areas surrounding the arena are managed by the city of Greenville and we are supportive of the city’s efforts.”

The flag’s appearance comes nearly three years after it was removed from above the Columbia statehouse, ending a near 15-year ban that prohibited the state from holding NCAA games.

The decision to remove the flag followed a 2015 targeted shooting at a historically black Charleston church that left nine black worshippers dead. The gunman named Dylann Roof, who was an avowed white supremacist, proudly posed for photos with different versions of the flag on social media.

Hunter Meadows, who was among those protesting with the flag on Sunday, told the Associated Press that the flag and its supporters shouldn’t be blamed for Roof’s actions. He also expressed upset that it had been removed from the capitol’s grounds.

“I didn’t feel it was right when the flag came down,” said Meadows, who said his ancestors fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War. “We wanted to show the NCAA that we’re still here.”

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— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Source: HuffPost Black Voices