Black Maple

01/13/2025

United Nations Announces Second International Decade for People of African Descent
- THE POP LIST December 27th, 2024

On December 17 the United Nations announced its Second International Decade for People of African Descent, January 2025 to December 2034. If you haven’t been paying attention, the first decade kicked off in 2015 and ended in 2024. (By the way, Canada did not sign on until January 30, 2018.) The original decade was intended to allow nation states, civil society, and others to “join together with people of African descent and take effective measures for the implementation of the programme of activities in the spirit of recognition, justice and development.”

Read the full article⬇️
https://blackmaplemagazine.com/articles/united-nations-announces-second-international-decade-for-people-of-african-descent/
































United Nations
United Nations Human Rights
Black Maple
Slavery North
Charmaine A. Nelson

On December 17 the United Nations announced its Second International Decade for People of African Descent, January 2025 to December 2034. If you haven’t been paying attention, the first decade...

01/11/2025

Creolization and Transatlantic Blackness: The Visual and Material Cultures of Slavery
- BOOKS, Black Maple

Edited by: Charmaine A. Nelson

Creolization and Transatlantic Blackness: The Visual and Material Cultures of Slavery explores one of the central concepts in the study of Transatlantic Slavery, creolization. Creolization defines the cultural, political, and social transformations that occurred in the Americas when Europeans interacted with enslaved Africans. But for the enslaved, creolization was also defined by deprivation, surveillance, control, and prohibitions. Departing from more conscribed definitions, the authors instead argue for an expansion of the term regarding duration, temporality, population, and importantly, regional scope. This rethinking impacts considerations of climate and the practices of slavery that are typically included and excluded from the study of creolization.

Citation: Charmaine A. Nelson, ed., Creolization and Transatlantic Blackness: The Visual and Material Cultures of Slavery (London, UK and NYC, USA: Routledge, 2025)

More information ⬇️
https://blackmaplemagazine.com/charmaines-books/creolization-and-transatlantic-blackness-the-visual-and-material-cultures-of-slavery/































Charmaine A. Nelson
Taylor & Francis
Black Maple
Slavery North
UMass Amherst Department of History of Art and Architecture
UMass Amherst
University of Wisconsin-Madison
McGill University
Williams College
University of Arizona College of Nursing
The University of Tampa

Creolization and Transatlantic Blackness: The Visual and Material Cultures of Slavery explores one of the central concepts in the study of Transatlantic Slavery, creolization. Creolization defines the cultural, political, and...

01/10/2025

Welcome 2025: The Trials, Tribulations, and Triumphs Commanding our Attention in the New Year
-FEATURES December 29th, 2024, Black Maple

As we step into the New Year, we invite you to experience the trials, triumphs, and transformations that will shape the year ahead. May 2025 bring you endless moments of love, boundless joy, and abundant opportunities. Stay focused, stay inspired, and let this year be one of growth and greatness.

Here’s to new beginnings and all the possibilities they bring!

Read the Full article⬇️
https://blackmaplemagazine.com/articles/welcome-2025-the-trials-tribulations-and-triumphs-commanding-our-attention-in-the-new-year/
































Aaron Pierre
Netflix
Prime Video
Harvard Medical School
Stanford Medicine
BBC News
PBS
Amnesty International
Kamala Harris
Brown University
NBC News NOW
Project MUSE
World Health Organization (WHO)
United Nations
Obesity Canada - Obésité Canada
CDC
NCBI - National Center for Biotechnology Information
Office of Minority Health - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
CTV Atlantic News
CTV News

Black Male Actors Take the Lead Aaron Pierre lit up our screens with his charisma and intensity in the Netflix hit Rebel Ridge (2024). But this wasn’t the first foray...

12/21/2024

Goodbye 2024: Our Look Back at What Made Us Cringe, Cry, and Celebrate
- FEATURES December 19th, 2024, Black Maple

We bring you our Top 10 Year End Review. Explore the triumphs, tragedies, wins, and losses of 2024.

Read the full article below
⬇️
https://blackmaplemagazine.com/articles/goodbye-2024-our-look-back-at-what-made-us-cringe-cry-and-celebrate/



























Paris 2024
Team Canada / Équipe Canada
Brendon Rodney
Andre De Grasse
Conservatives
Annamie Paul
Kamala Harris
Slavery North
Mellon Foundation
UMass Amherst
Charmaine A. Nelson
UMass Amherst Department of History of Art and Architecture
Ms. Magazine
POLITICO
Toronto Blue Jays
MLB
Canada Soccer
MLB
CNN International
Recording Academy / GRAMMYs
The Academy
Tony Awards
Simone Biles
Julien Alfred
Marileidy Paulino
The Webby Awards
The Anthem Awards
Awards
w3 Awards
Awards

1. Canadian Men’s 4 x 100 Metre Relay Team wins Gold at Paris Olympics When the teams for the 4 x 100 Metre Men’s Relay final took to the Parisian...

12/21/2024

Sorrel
- THE SELF-CARE CIRCLE December 17th, 2024, Black Maple

Treat your loved ones to the festive beverage called sorrel, the Jamaican Christmas drink with a bountiful array of health benefits. We share a recipe and the full scoop on this steeped and spiced hibiscus drink.

Interested? Check our article below
⬇️
https://blackmaplemagazine.com/articles/sorrel/
































Demand Africa
NC State Extension
ScienceDirect
Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture
National Cancer Institute
Native Nurseries of Tallahassee

12/21/2024

Through the Eyes of a Child: Memories of Christmases Past in Jamaica
MAX’S PEARLS OF WISDOM December 18th, 2024, Black Maple

Max shares how his vivid Christmas memories from 1940s and 50s Jamaica where shaped by broader social issues and traces the performance tradition of Jonkonnu to its origins in enslaved performers’ audacious parodies of white plantation culture.

Read the full article ⬇️
https://blackmaplemagazine.com/articles/through-the-eyes-of-a-child-memories-of-christmases-past-in-jamaica/
































Charmaine A. Nelson
Smarthistory Commons
Slavery North

I have fond memories of my childhood growing up in Jamaica in the 40s and 50s. Christmas was a festive season, embraced by all, rich and poor. By the first...

12/21/2024

Black Women Rise, but Suffer Harm in Western Federal Politics
- CHARMAINE’S BLOG December 19th, 2024, Black Maple
By: Dr. Charmaine A. Nelson, Professor of Art History

Did you ever think we’d see the day when black women would be tapped to lead major political parties in federal politics in white-majority nations? You’d be forgiven if your answer is, NO! But as this blog details, it’s not just about “getting a shot,” but getting a fair one, without your peers and colleagues actively trying to do you in. Sound familiar?

Read More ⬇️
https://blackmaplemagazine.com/articles/black-women-rise-but-suffer-harm-in-western-federal-politics/


















?












AAnnamie PaulGGreen Party of Canada | Parti vert du CanadaGGlobal NewsKKamala HarrisDDemocratic PartyJJoe BidenAAPPPBS NewsHourWWashington Post

Did you ever think we’d see the day when black women would be tapped to lead major political parties in federal politics in white-majority nations? You’d be forgiven if your...

12/21/2024

Dexter: Original Sin (2024)
- THE POP LIST December 15th, 2024, Black Maple

Witness Dexter’s awkward growing pains in the new prequel, Dexter: Original Sin, which takes us back to the 1990s to the serial killer’s early days as a medical student and Miami Metro Homicide intern.

Read The full article below (Spoiler alert ahead!) ⬇️
https://blackmaplemagazine.com/articles/dexter-original-sin-2024/





























Dexter on Showtime
Paramount+
Showtime Networks
Michael C Hall
Christina Milian
Christian Slater
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Patrick Dempsey
Reno Wilson

12/21/2024

Sailing to Freedom: Maritime Dimensions of the Underground Railroad
- Book review, 15 December 2024, Black Maple

Chris Gismondi, Slavery North PhD Student Fellow, reviews Timothy D. Walker's edited volume on maritime marronnage spanning the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in the coastal Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, New York, Connecticut, and eastern Massachusetts.

Check out the book review right here ⬇️
https://blackmaplemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/PUBLISH-Chris-Gismondi-Sailing-to-Freedom-Review-1-1.pdf





























Slavery North
UMass Amherst
University of New Brunswick
University of Massachusetts Press

12/19/2024

News from Black Maple Magazine

We're proud to announce the publication of the latest issue of Chrysalis! As Charmaine’s groundbreaking vehicle to showcase the academic research of her brilliant students turns ten years old (2014-2024), we're back with Volume 1, Issue 10; the 3rd Special Issue on Comparative Fugitive Slave Advertisement Analysis. Dive into eight original articles exploring Transatlantic Slavery in Canada and the American North by undergraduate and graduate student scholars at UMass Amherst. Happy Birthday Chrysalis! Here's to the next decade!

Discover Chrysalis⬇️
https://blackmaplemagazine.com/research/chrysalis/






















Charmaine A. Nelson
Slavery North
UMass Amherst

12/12/2024

Uglies (2024)
THE POP LIST, November 28th, 2024, Black Maple

Picture this! It’s planet earth in the not-too-distant future, but things have changed radically in some respects. Flying vehicles that we’d characterize as spaceships now routinely populate the sky of the urban landscape called “The City”. The urban space looks like a glossed-up New York City on steroids and people have been divided into two camps known as the Uglies – the pre-sixteen, unchanged humans – and the Pretties, those that have reached the milestone age and received their operations to transform them into something better – or is it better? This question – does the quest for or attainment of physical perfection make one “better” – is at the heart of the new Netflix film Uglies, directed by McG and written by Jacob Forman, Vanessa Taylor, and Whit Anderson. The film is packed with urgent social and political messages perfect for our moment in which social media is in overdrive, largely trading on limiting and often racist misperceptions of physical beauty and perfection that are literally killing us.

Want to read more?
Head over to Black Maple Magazine for a deeper dive into Uglies (2024). Spoiler alert ahead!
⬇️
https://blackmaplemagazine.com/articles/uglies-2024































Netflix
Laverne Cox
Chase Stokes
Gabriela Garcia
Jillian Murray
Robert Palmer Watkins
NPR
POLITICO

12/12/2024

Slave Play (2024); Noël Coward Theatre, London
FEATURES December 1st, 2024, Black Maple
-By Chris Gismondi

Read about the live experience of the controversial and groundbreaking theatre experience, ​​Slave Play (2024), written by q***r black playwright Jeremy O. Harris. Slave Play explores the complex dynamics of three in*******al couples engaged in plantation-style sexual role play. The work delves into issues of race, desire, power, and the legacies of slavery. Premiering off-Broadway in 2018 and moving to Broadway in 2019, it received twelve Tony nominations, making it a significant cultural achievement in contemporary theatre.

Link below ⬇️
https://blackmaplemagazine.com/articles/slave-play-2024/































Delfont Mackintosh Theatres
Rihanna
Artsy
Slavery North

11/25/2024

Cross (2024)
- THE POP LIST, November 23rd 2024, Black Maple

Based on James Patterson’s novels, Cross mixes the genres of drama, thriller, and action, with the gut-wrenching loss of once in a lifetime love, to form an engrossing series which has a film-like quality. In it we see the tenderness of a grieving black father who is mindful that allowing his kids to see his grief will allow them to express their own. It is also a show about the ride-or-die friendship between two accomplished, intelligent, and emotionally-intelligent black men…Be forewarned, this show will hook you early, so hold on for the ride.

Read the full article below but be warned—spoilers ahead!
⬇️
https://blackmaplemagazine.com/articles/cross-2024/






























Amazon Prime Video
James Patterson
Isaiah Mustafa
Johnny Ray Gill

Ben Watkins’ dramatic series Cross starts off with the Washington-based black detective reeling from his wife’s recent murder. A devoted black couple with two young children, their PDA was off...

11/25/2024

Investigation Alien (2024)
-THE POP LIST, November 15th 2024, Black Maple

Investigation Alien is a riveting examination of alien sitings and the US government coverups designed to suppress the evidence, and deliberately or not, discredit the witnesses who’ve had “close encounters”. The key force across the six-episode Netflix series is veteran journalist George Knapp who has been pursuing evidence – witness testimony, military recordings, and even ancient petroglyphs – across a decades-long career.

Interested? Check out the full article⬇️
https://blackmaplemagazine.com/articles/investigation-alien-2024/































Netflix
George Knapp

11/24/2024

Players (2024)
- THE POP LIST, November 10th, 2024, Black Maple

Written by Whit Anderson and directed by Trish Sie, Players (2024) is a charming and heartwarming romantic comedy filled with both hilarious and poignant moments. If you love stories about deep friendships, unexpected romance, and the journey of self-discovery, this film is a must-watch.

Curious to know more? Check out the full review below—but fair warning, spoilers ahead!
⬇️
https://blackmaplemagazine.com/articles/players-2024/
































Netflix
Damon Wayans Jr.
Jane The Virgin
CBS
Augustus Prew
Joel Courtney
Prison Break
Two and a Half Men
Liza Koshy
Saturday Night Live

11/24/2024

Black Maple Magazine Wins 9 Trophies at the 20th Annual Davey Awards

We’re thrilled to announce that Black Maple Magazine has added nine trophies from the 20th Annual Davey Awards and five from the 19th Annual w3 Awards (2024) to our growing list of accolades! Our collection already includes an Anthem Award, six Communicator Awards, and recognition as a Webby Honoree.
The recognition keeps pouring in and we couldn’t be more grateful! A huge thank you to everyone who supports our mission. Onward and upward! 🎉🎊

Check the 2024 Winners Gallery ⬇️
https://daveyawards.com/winners-area/gallery/?event=1084&award=99&search=black%20maple
































Awards
UMass Amherst Department of History of Art and Architecture
UMass Amherst
Charmaine A. Nelson
Slavery North
The Anthem Awards
The Webby Awards
Fast Company
Digitas North America

11/14/2024

Job Opportunity from Slavery North

Clerk IV (Administrative Assistant)
- October 21, 2024- By Dr. Charmaine Nelson, Slavery North

The Administrative Assistant and Institute Coordinator, Slavery North Initiative is now open for application!

Job Summary
The Administrative Assistant and Institute Coordinator for the Slavery North Initiative will provide administrative support to the Institute and its Director as well as logistics support for its interested stakeholders and outside community members.

For full details of this opportunity and to submit your application, please visit
⬇️
https://slaverynorth.com/job/job-opportunity-clerk-iv-administrative-assistant/



Slavery North
UMass Amherst
Charmaine A. Nelson
UMass Amherst Department of History of Art and Architecture

Clerk IV (Administrative Assistant) APPLY NOW Job no: 525250 Work type: Staff Full Time Location: UMass Amherst Department: Dean – Humanities & Fine Arts Union: USA/MTA Categories: Administrative & Office Support About UMass Amherst UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth’s flagship campus, is a nationa...

11/07/2024

Rebel Ridge (2024)
-THE POP LIST, November 3rd, 2024, Black Maple Magazine

Check out the new Netflix action thriller Rebel Ridge (2024)— be warned, spoilers ahead!”
⬇️
https://blackmaplemagazine.com/articles/rebel-ridge-2024/
































Netflix
AnnaSophia Robb
Will Smith
Martin Lawrence