LIBERATEISSUE ONE

(Pilot)

Content curated by LIBERATION MEDIA GROUP

All Rights ReservedDecember 2012-January 2014

RASHAAD DENZELFounder/Editor-in-Chief

Published in Raleigh, North Carolina, 2014

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FROM THE

EDITOR

MESSAGE

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Dear Readers,

LIBERATE is an avant-garde quarterly journal, designed to ENLIGHTEN, INSPIRE and MOTI-VATE. Over past years the mass media placed their labels on millennials associating millennial with words like “narcissistic, overconfident, entitled and lazy.” I asked myself during the devel-opment of this idea why aren’t their media channels and platforms where the mass media use their influence to ENLIGHTEN, INSPIRE and MOTIVATE. The ideas associated with this new generation need to be revolutionized and reframed for preceding generations and generations to come. We can’t poison the minds of people by labeling certain groups of people as incompetent. The speed of this socio-digital society calls for us to remain progressive, innovative and positive in order to stay ahead of our times.

Some of my critics posed the question of “Why not just curate a blog?.” And my answer to that is.... Personally I do not fee a blog would satisfy my urge to create a “body of work.” As an artist, I feel that a publication is more concrete. Not to diminish bloggers, but its important the LIB-ERATE separate itself and become more of a non-competitor. The year splits into four seasons; spring, summer, fall and winter. Of each of those seasons; people are submerged in negative, useless content from various media outlets. LIBERATE wants to base its content on the new and experimental ideas of each season. Blogging becomes to stressful because you have to follow trends by the hour and not by the seasons.

LIBERATE aims to add sophistication and intellect to a time period where being the opposite of those things are overexposed. This is not a magazine! It is a journal and it will be presented as such. For the pilot issue, much of the content will include much of my own contributions mixed with the collaborations contributions from various people whom I’ve had encounters with over the past year.

I am most excited about “The LIBERATORS” featured in this issue. The Liberators are various artists and regular people who contributed their creative works to the formation of this publica-tion. The contributions can be found throughout the publication. The contributions range from poetry, photography, short stories, to essays about various topics

This is the pilot issue of LIBERATE and imperfections are present, but we must learn to first attempt our endeavors before we can reach levels of perfection.

Thank you for reading and hope you enjoy.

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Photo by RSHDDNZL

A GENRE BRAIDED WITH CULTURE:

Ace Henny Is The Poster Boy for New Southby Corvaya Jefferies

You’ve read the ‘Best of 2013’ lists and listened to voices in Hip Hop deem ‘The Most Anticipated of 2014’; but you haven’t prepared for a new wave of music, have you? After listening to rapper Ace Henny’s latest project, consider yourself hip to a peeking sound in our beloved Hip Hop; New South. From its distinctive style, to its funky lingo, the sounds of New South are nothing short of original, raw, and influential – right in line with Ace’s self-released EP, Suburbia. Through Suburbia, the swagged out North Carolinian takes you on a mind trip of impressions, catchy hooks, and 808s and describes it as ‘different’. The EP artistically brings you to a dark place, a happy one (or two), and back to the dark. When speaking on the unusual elements of Suburbia as a whole, Ace agreed that the project is a bit moody, but for a good reason: “I got a little more in touch with things that affected me deeply and I’m proud of that, I’m happy to let people in. A lot of rappers put up a facade only rapping about buying chains and having bitches. I’m not going to say that I will never rap about those things but I’m taking the steps now so my fans can get to know me and understand me.

. When I become nationally known and I’m rapping about chains and bitches, they won’t question it, they’ll already know why.” His transparency is apparent through-out the EP and it makes for an inventive, something to vibe to without skipping a track, compilation. In terms of “making it”, Ace Henny has undeniable potential. Often being compared to Tyler the Creator, Ace seems to be creating his own lane in the industry while representing the New South genre in a dis-tinctive fashion. The unconventional sounds of Suburbia including ten tracks and a roster of producers will feed you with the recipe for what New South is today and opens the door for what it will become. As Ace says, “it’s a genre but it’s also a culture”. On what’s next for Ace Henny, he’s teamed up with the creative director of Liber-ate Media Group to create a visual component to Suburbia. When asked what listeners can expect in becoming viewers, he says: “Think of all of your teen movies in one, with a New South influence.; The Break-fast Club – with Black People – ATL, definite-ly ATL, and Ferris Beuler’s Day Off but with rappers. It’s going to be a trippy perspective but it’s guaranteed fresh.”

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NEW SOUTH

NEW SOUTHPhoto by RSHDDNZL

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THE (BUYER)

LaToya Toney reflects on the journey in the fashion industry.

When it comes to fashion we hear about the designers. Most people outside the fashion in-dustry don’t understand how the garments they purchase end up in the stores for their purchase. Currently residing in Washington DC, during her time visiting her hometown of Raleigh N.C. for the christmas holiday I wasable to create some personal dialogue with Ms. Toney about her perspective of being the middleman (in this case middlewoman) of an industry that is so complicated.

RD: How did you begin your journey in fash-ion?LT: After graduating from college, I landed my first internship with Natori, a lifestyle brand mainly known for its lingerie collections. I was super excited about this because the com-pany paid its interns a stipend every week. I really hustled to get that internship, so I felt it was well deserved. I interned at Natori as a Fashion Merchandiser for about 2 months be-fore I was fired. My boss (the lady who inter-viewed me) went from being this sweet lady who I thought I could really learn a lot from, to being an “Ice Queen”. She was a bitch to me the moment I stepped foot into the office on my first day. I confronted her about it (asking her what her problem was) because I felt

she had some sort of hostility. I was fired a week later. It totally threw me off guard and I always joke and say this job was my wake up call like, “Wel-come to NY Bitch!” I called home crying to my parents (big mistake) and they immediately told me to come back home. There was no, pep talk telling me it’s going to be alright and to keep at it. I myself, had to keep pushing. There was no way I was going to go back home to living the simple life all because of a minor setback. I didn’t work hard and save up all my pennies to give up that easy. So I stayed in NYC and landed jobs as a merchan-diser, stylist and buyer in the fashion industry and I’ve been at for over 7 years now. I’ve had some rough moments but I have no regrets.

I myself, had to keep pushing. There was no way I was going to go back home to living the simple life all because of a minor setback. I didn’t work hard and save up all my pen-nies to give up that easy. I stayed in NYC and landed jobs as a merchan-diser, stylist and buyer in the fashion industry and I’ve been at for over 7

years now.

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RD: What does being a “buyer” entail?LT: People outside of fashion don’t understand the importance of a buyer. Other than the design-ers, we’re responsible for putting clothes on your back, so you’re not naked and breaking the law. You may think you when you walk into a store that the choices you made as far as what to pur-chase was all your own, but who gave you those choices? The Buyer. I buy Branded Apparel and Accessories for Airport Retail. So, I’m buying for travelers from all walks of life. Some customers are traveling for business, while others are trav-eling for pleasure and that’s something I must keep in mind when doing my job. It’s important as a buyer to understand your consumer and the demographics in which your stores are located. Who is your consumer? How much money are they willing to spend? Where do they work? What do they look like? These are all important questions. I have a store in the Dallas Airport where I buy Western inspired clothing, hats and cowboy boots, etc. Then I have stores in airports across the U.S. that I buy sunglasses for in luxury

brands such as Tom Ford , Gucci, Prada and Fer-ragamo. So, as you can see, I buy for several brands for all categories that fall within branded apparel and accessories. I get to do some light traveling while buying fashion pieces. I love my job!RD: Lots of celebrities with no fashion background are interested in being in the fashion industry. How does someone like you with a genuine background in fashion feel about this?LT: I’m not a fan because they make it look so easy and it’s not. What most celebrities do is, put their name on a label for branding purposes. They didn’t sketch anything out. They didn’t sew anything to-gether. What happens is they hire an actual de-signer, someone who’s graduated from Parsons or FIT. They have them sketch and sew these designs based off a list of things the celebrity/tv personal-ity said they wanted. It’s just like a girl getting her prom dress custom made. Did she design it? No, she went to the seamstress and told them what she wanted it to look like. Oh and one more thing, half of these celebrities don’t even wear their own designs...Donatella rocks Versace. Just saying...

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RD: What is your opinion on fashion bloggers vs fashion journalist?LT Unfortunately, a lot of the creative, artistic type jobs can now be easily imitated. This world is full of posers now thanks to social media. You give someone a computer and have them set up an account on a blog site and within 5 minutes, voila’, they’re a blogger with the liberty to add any profession to their title. Fashion Blogger. Photography Blogger, etc. I can’t tell you how many posers I’ve seen waiting outside of NY Fashion Week taking photos to post on their blogs. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s cool to see people with other interests, outside of what they do at their 9-5 jobs but I can’t help but feel for the journalist who has a degree in communica-tion, has experienced a few setbacks but won’t give it because this is their passion, blogger and photographer as well.RD: Research shows that only .07% of the fash-ion ads have African American models and only .01% of the models are Asian. What is your opinion on this?LT: I think it’s sad and here we are in 2014 and skin color is still an issue. It’s not just with Afri-can-American models. We don’t see many Asian models either. However, we do have designers, Rick Owens and Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy, using women of color as their muse on and off the runway. It’s simple. Just add women of color to your runway and ad campaigns. There real-ly ain’t nothing to it but do it. When designers hold casting calls, they need to go for diversity. The designers have total control of that because they’re in charge of executing their vision. They have to want it.RD: What advice do you have for someone with aspirations in the fashion industry?

“I think it’s sad and here we are in 2014 and skin color is still an issue. It’s not just with African-Ameri-can models. We don’t see many Asian models either. However, we do have designers, Rick Owens and Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy, using women of color as their muse on and off the

runway.”

Photo by Rich Woods

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LT: Go into it because you truly love it and you can’t see yourself being happy doing any-thing else, no matter how competitive it is. That’s called passion. Educate yourself and be knowledgeable about the fashion industry. That entails reading popular books and mag-azines on fashion, learning to pronounce de-signer names, understanding your fabrics and travel. There’s a whole other world out there for you to see and to understand what’s happen-ing with fashion, you have to put yourself out there. It’s beautiful. There’s nothing worse than to hear the girl who claims to sleep, eat and shit fashion, yet she can’t pronounce Givenchy, she’s never heard of Dolce and Gabbana, she thinks that Africa is a country. You can’t be close-minded in this business and to be suc-cessful, you must stay focused and driven. This is a very tough and competitive business. You have to have

thick skin. There’s no crying. No one cares that you’re not feeling well. No one cares that your boyfriend broke up with you. No one cares that they hurt your feelings. There are going to be times, when people are going to treat you as if you’re stupid and incompetent. So, it’s up to you to either prove them wrong or to let it bring it you down.RD: Lastly, your own aspiration. Something you MUST accomplish by the time you leave this earth. Before I leave this Earth, I hope to start-up and run a lucrative business so I can pass it down to my children and have them pass it down to their children. I want to cre-ate an empire. I would love to be able to tell my parents that they can retire now and enjoy the rest of their life without having to worry about money. If and when that happens, I will feel very much accomplished.

Photo by Rich Woods

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SMALL TALK WITH YOUNG DESIGNERRhugi Villasenor explains the birth of label, RHUDE.

by Rashaad DenzelRD: First off, spell out a pronunciation of your first name. I’ve heard it a few differ-ent ways and I want make sure when I write your feature story people are clear on how to say your name.RV: ROO-WE-G so pretty much Luigi with an RHRD: How did RHUDE begin? And when?RV: Began a year ago after I created my ban-dana capsule collection, which then grew!RD: What triggered your desire to design clothes?RV: Well I’m very aware and concerned about the culture as far as the direction we’re headed;

RV: and it just so happened that clothes were my medium for my desire to change and con-tribute to our culture.RD: What inspires your designs?RV: History. I like to think and study. In a way I approach my clothes as a mixed media, Mixing the classic with a modern awareness.RD: What do you think separates yourself from all the other brands on the rise?RV: I try not to compare myself or look at any-one. But what separates me? Idk what I do know is that I don’t gain inspiration from the same place as people my age. I know how to actually make clothes. RD:What do you hope to accomplish as a de-signer over the next 5-10 years? (Do you plan to expand?)

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RV: Build and capitalize on R H U D E. Of course! But, organic and calculated growth though. Ambition can kill you. RD: How did it feel to have Kendrick Lamar ask to wear your bandana design?RV:Definitely a big fan of Kendrick! It was a great head start for me. But certainly just an intro to my great fucking song, so-to-speak.RD: I like to consider you the creator of the whole bandana design; how do you take it when other designers copy your concept?RV:Listen before I used to think the same when I saw a plethora of high and lowend companies introducing alterations of my bandana design.

and low end companies introducing alter-ations of my bandana design. It’s how the industry and the culture has al-ways been that’s how trends are built. It’s a bit-tersweet feeling. But to be able to say I single handedly put a mark on the culture. I began a wave and I’m considered the one that ushered that asymmetrical bandana approach. Not many people can say that.RD: Lastly, what advice do you have for other artists on the rise? RV: Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Know what you are really passionate about and don’t pass the mark you aimed for.

Photos Coutesy of XXL Magazine and Rh-ude.comLIBERATION MEDIA DOES NOT OWN15

Daniel Spellman, Photo by RSHDDNZL

THE ZOO-UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A SHORT CONCEPT FILM DIRECTED BY RSHDDNZL

The Synopsis:

A brief explanation behind the concept

The Zoo-Nited States was an “attempt. I say attempt because artistically, and strategi-cally the final project was an abridged version of a huge idea. The logo was designed during the government shut down in 2013 and the short film was inspired and developed from the logo. The logo is a basic infographic of the political and social climate of 2012-2013. The Zoo-Nited States is the fictional-nation and the movie takes place during a time when the government officials places their party idealo-gy over the wellness of its people. The inability to place aside their party idealogy for the progression of its people led to an eventual lost of trust between the gov-ernment and the people. The hostility trickles down into how the people interact. The men-tal impact this has on its people has a cause the people to result to gun violence and other physical harms to one another. Over the last few decades the peo-ple have become astonishly more intelligent. There is an economic boom and technological advances have skyrocketed. Aside from all the economic advancements; the morale of the people began to deteriorated. They have be-come more violent, more aggressive and more selfish.

While the government continues their point-less arguments, there is an increase of gun vi-olence that begins to go unnoticed. The people of the Zoo-United States under a mental epidemic and things begin to spin out of control. There is one unsuspected government official who emerges as the new leader who plans to piece the nation together so that it can operate in harmony. He’s young charismatic, controversial, compassionate, and intelligent. The people are skeptical, but awk-wardly begin to accept him as their new lead-er. He uses unpopular philosophies and tactics to nurse the people back into sanity, but he’s not given an easy challenge by the Zoo-Nited States government. The movie is based on the idea that while the government is here to serve the peo-ple it is also important that the people serve each other. The movie puts emphasizes on a small point by using a much larger scale to amplify its purpose.. The purpose of the mov-ie is to make the viewer think about priorities, and how when our priorities began to fall out of order so do other aspects of our lives. In this case it’s the government’s lack of connec-tion with the people that causes a social fall out.

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N E W E R A F E M I N I S M

by Ric-Chara Pina

rather than just making their frustrations talking points. This new approach has modern-ized the woman and has made her more open, more sexual and more confident. Beyoncé, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and Ma-donna are examples of when self-perception and passion to collide. These women have used their art to create a world parallel to their pas-sions. Their music, their images all indirectly push new ideas of womanhood to other wom-en. The 24-hour cycle of mass media has pro-vided these women with the platform to send their messages to women in every corner of the globe. For many this has allowed the liberation of many women who feel the social constraints. The transparency of these women have sparked an evolution of buzz-cuts, dance movements, and a boost of sexual expression amongst women in the United States. What we can learn from this new era of feminism? I think women being more confident, sharp and frisky is nothing to be ashamed. Regardless of the whispers that speak against it we as women are on a path towards an undiscovered womanhood. As the new age of feminist continue to open themselves up to the world, social-norms will soon relax and adapt itself to the new era. These new ideas about womanhood will build a stronger con-nection between women and men that will be more honorable than any generation has seen thus far.

The women of today are a makeup of women who are self-aware, progressive, goal driven and independent. The new era of wom-anhood is a lot less submissive and contrary to the more conservative women of the 1950s. We are educated unstoppable, and breaking the cultural norms each step of the way to exert our own happiness over satisfying the man and the rest of society. The 21st century feminist tac-tics are less direct, but more forceful than ever before. We are taking control in the workforce, instead of whining about displacement. We are believers in self-help and are open to new ideas pushed by men. I was first called a “feminist” in high school. The word was foreign, but the idea of a ‘woman-lead-mafia’ sounded exciting. When I reached college I became un-attracted and dis-connected to the traditional ideas of the fem-inist movements. I felt like a huge portion of the women just wanted to complain and make a fuss. Millennial women, we are much more reluctant to claim traditional feminism because of the negative stigma associated with the term. Man-bashers, unhygienic, and overly sensitive are just a few things associated with the term “feminist. Women today, specifically millennial women like to take a less direct approach to-wards advocating as feminism. Instead, they prefer to take on a more “show and prove” ap-proach toward womanhood.

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QUARTER I

L I B E R A T O R SE S S A Y S I P H O T G R A P H Y I P O E T R Y I S H O R T S T O R I E S

i s s u e o n e - j a n u a r y 2 0 1 4

every artist deserves a platform where they are free to express their talent. these artists used their words and their visions to

enlighten, inspire, AND LIBERATE.

LINESa short story by marcella d. camara

“Place a check beside the candidate or party of your choice.” That is the direction printed on top of the paper ballot I’m hold-ing in the voter’s booth. I’m at the high school down the street from my apartment, and this is my first time voting. There are so many let-ters, shapes, and lines on this paper. I hold the ballot far away from my face and I’m instant-ly bothered. From afar, it all looks like one complicated math problem. I hate math. I hate geometry. I hate shapes. I hate numbers. Most of all, I hate lines. Lines separate things. They keep things out. Whether visible or symbol-ic, lines have done their math in my life for as long as I can remember, dividing and sub-tracting people where they see fit. Before he died my baba told the story countless times of how he waited in line for five hours to get his American citizenship. He sent in his paperwork months before, paid the $700 fee, and then my uncle drove him to Washington, DC,

where he took his citizenship test. He would stroke his long black and brown speckled beard, and puff on his pipe as he described the test to my cousins and I. “Who is the first president of the Unit-ed States? What do the red and white lines on the flag represent? For an army man like me,” he would say, “those questions…easy as cake.” He lived in this country for over twenty years, and as a true American, he would still get ex-pressions wrong. It was funny to me. Unlike my father, I did not have to wait in line to lay claim to this country. I was born on American soil, in a city where dotted lines separated bor-oughs, classes, and races. I am a citizen, but some days I forget that. When I’m waiting in line at airports, my hijab becomes a deformity.People gawk and stare. In elevators or train stations, it doesn’t matter that my baba waited five hours, or that English or that I could see the Statue of Liberty outside

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of my childhood window. It only matters that I look different from them. I look like a ter-rorist. The scarf over my head was nonviolent, but ignorance drew invisible lines in the pro-verbial sand. They are on one side; I am on the other. Anyone who’s different goes to the back of the bus. I as well as people who look like me are the enemy.They wave their rebel flags with pride. “’Mer-ica!” They yell. I often see little confederate flags hanging with pride on cars and in store windows whenever I visit my cousins down south. Some of the corner store owners on Coney Island have them too. They’re patriots, or I guess they think they are. When Muslims wanted to build a community center near ground zero, many of these people were the ones who called it insulting, or un-American. And that makes me wonder. When these peo-ple look at my hijab or my baba’s turban, do they see us as un-American, while they wave around a symbol of one of America’s biggest enemies? As I mark the last of my preferred candidates on my ballot, I wonder if my baba

thought of any of this during his five hour stint in line for the American dream. Did he think that becoming a citizen meant that he would belong here? I wonder if he thought settling down as far away as he could from the Mason Dixon would allow his daughter a true Amer-ican life without prejudice, discrimination, or invisible lines. I ponder all this as I walk out of the booth and hand my ballot to the attendee. He stares at my ballot, then looks up at me. I’m never sure if they’re looking at my face or my hijab. He offers a wry smile as he hands me an “I voted!” sticker. I place the sticker over my heart, the same place my hand goes when I say the pledge of allegiance. I admire it for a couple seconds before exiting the high school. I have errands to run. With my sticker secured over my heart, and my thoughts at bay, I head to the hilal butchery, unaware that in a week or two there will be petitions and headlines all over the internet of states asking for secession from the United States. They didn’t like the candidate that won, the same one I voted for.

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Photo by Lexi Miller

PATIENCE BY GESSICA CHADIC

Why should my mouth ever have to utter a word to convince my Love to come?The sun doesn’t need my permission to setnor does the moon await my instruction to rise.Great natural occurrences, created with full understanding of their purpose,are punctual even in my silence. So why would Love, the greatest natural occurrence of ALL,ever need direction from my lips?Just as the ocean knows when to waveand the leaves know when to fall…My Love already knows when to come.

Photo by Johnathan Millner

Until I am completely in love with myself….It would be unfair to let someone step in and love me,-Attempt to reach deep inside me, and pull out what hides deep…

When in reality,They would walk on a plank, and pull out a blank,For this attempt to find beauty would just be a mis-take…

Or something mistook,Or something HE took,The epitome of my vision of love has been shook…

Robbed, misguided… fears ignitedMan indicted… the cause is cited,My fault cause I DID, I have, but no longerGive power to the persons who intend to slaughter

My notions of happiness, my intentions of wellness..It’s SAD to say how many wish for failings

It’s SAD to say how many pretend to care,False conceptions, I’ll resort to prayer…

Cause GOD is the only one who knows of all my pain,The one with the power to increase and gain…

The one who can give me a sense of light,On this dark path of night, we all call LIFE,“ SHINE BRIGHT!” are the words of encouragement I receive

If only one could see the turmoil’s past skin deep

To see me is not to know,To know me is to care,To realize in my mind that I am something rare

To confess and believe, then apply it to my lifeTo live in a world where there’s constant strife

I take BACK the value that I’ve given to societyBecause the only one to dictate my beauty is ME.

UNTITLED A spoken word by Bianca Bulter

Photo by Johnathan Millner

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Photo by RSHDDNZL31

Hide, No Seeka spoken word piece by Aaron Carter

Man, I’m sick and tiredSick and tired of the hidden fires Burning bridges to the village where my sin’s inspiredSo I live and lie, a living lieAfraid I’ll one day be televisedCameras...lights...the thrill and shineI let that rest aside because if it caught up to me I know I’ll be petrifiedCamera shy. You would be too if you knew what I held insideSo I lock it up, take itDown to the basement and watch itMisplace shit and flip cagesIt’s a tragedy how people can get mad at me for gradually showing my true nature like an apple treeBut don’t feel sad for meIn this game of lies and truth You can’t hide from youIt’s a hard pill to swallow without a side of juice They ride on through with tires missin on an expired lemonMy engine driven by hidden visions wondering when the light is hittinBe you and be greatNothing else matters.Follow your fate.Any other path is waste of time While scared to accept your demonsI play with mine

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Photos by Jacob Parks

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Photos by Lexi Miller

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BIGTHE

IDEAThe word “avant-garde” means “new and unusual or experimental ideas, esp. in the arts, or the people introducing them.” LIBERATE aims to be the publication that gives you just that kind of content. In every issue LIBERATE will dedicate its final word to a big idea. It can range from anything. It can be an idea in your head you thought of while driving or something you pon-dered on the toliet seat. The spread of ideas is important and can change the world so let this be your platform to do as such.

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Last word from editor-in-chief on how young, ambitions, risktakers can benefit from Detroit’s infrastrucure

THE RESTORATION OF

DETROIT I find myself submerged in “Antho-ny Bourdain: Parts Unknown” docu-series in complete awe amazement of all the op-portunities available to young people who want to make a difference and explore new communities around the world. In one par-ticular episode Bourdain took us on a jour-ney to a place more “well-known,” he took us to our own backyard in Detroit, Michigan. Since 2009, Detroit has under went some of the most tumultuous economic times of any other American city resulting in the city fil-ing for bankruptcy in 2013. The results of this bankruptcy has left Detroit neighborhoods and businesses vacant, turning Detroit into a modern day ghost town. So I asked myself what will Detroit be like in 20 years? Who will be the people to recolonize one of America’s largest cities? If we think about the econom-ic boom Detroit experienced when General Motors decided to call it home we will realize that it was the risks of those businessmen and women that would lead to the succession of the one America’s once most efficient city.

The United States population is growing fast sparking an increase of entrepreneurship and innovations.. The new generation of millenni-als are creative, tech-savvy, and open-mind-ed. Together those attributes have the ability to re-cultivate an entire city. The road to the reconstruction of Detroit is difficult, espe-cially with government regulations and the catastrophic infrastructure within Detroit. The city has lost character due to its popula-tion decline. The city needs millennials who are ambitious and optimistic to carry the city on its back. An ideal city in the 21 century must first be environmentally-friendly. Next it must have several locally owned businesses, diverse neighborhoods, entertainment cen-ters, efficient public transportation systems, good schools, and organic urban farms. This ideal city seems like a far from reality aspira-tion for the political pundits who keep their opinions rather pessimistic. To the optimistic American they view the city as a blank slate, it just needs the fuel of the people. Some people have already begun their entrepreneurial

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creative inspiration or in need of a new setting. A new nonprofit organization called “Write a House” is refurbishing three two-bedroom houses in Detroit and accepting applications this spring for writers to move in, rent free. Po-ets, journalists, novelists, and anyone who falls somewhere in between are encouraged to apply. The idea of three writers moving to Detroit is not the recipe for success in Detroit, but artists and writers alike are able to restore the culture to city buried in bad publicity and loss of hu-man occupancy. Programs like “Write a House” will spark positive stories and get the national attention of those who are in seek to pursue a new path in a new community. My point is that Detroit is a pile of po-tential. With an increase in productivity, Detroit will become a duality to their long time nick-name the “Motor City.” In twenty years the city could be known for more than just turning the wheels on motors, but for turning around the way a city operates for the better of society and the future.

prospects in the city. In September 2013, The Madison Block opened the epicenter for tech-startup and center of productivity for creative businesses. The 5 story building com-plex offers a variety of technically advanced spaces for business presentations, meetings, press conferences, team-building and other creative company events for up to 500 people. Businesses like this promote productivity. We can’t talk about Detroit with out considering how to manage and increase productivity lev-els. The 24-hour-need-to-feel connected so-ciety has increased the demand for produc-tivity in humans. The risk takers who migrate to Detroit will have an advantage to develop new productivity techniques, by evaluating the start up booms in Detroit. Technology has enhanced our overall productivity levels. Businesses like The Madison Block providing this platform will allow tech startups to spread new ideas of productivity to other parts of the world. If your not into technology, Detroit is an interesting place for artists seeking

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thanks to all those who made this publication possible with their contributions.

EDITORIALS Corvaya Jefferies | Ric-Chara Pina

PHOTOGRAPHY Lexi Miller | Johnathan Millner | Jacob Parks

POETRY Bianca Butler | Gessica Chadic | Aaron Carter

SHORT STORIES Marcella Camara

“The future does not belong to those who are content with today, apathetic toward common problems and their fellow man alike, timid and fearful in the face of bold projects and new ideas. Rather, it will be-long to those who can blend passion, reason and courage in a personal commitment to

the ideals of American society.”

- rOBERT F. kENNEDY, JR.

LIBERATION MEDIA GROUP