Close up with King Tutankhamun

Happy Monday! On this clold cloudy day I thought I would share some photos from my recent visit to see The King Tut Immersion Experience. I knew as soon as I saw the advertising for this exhibit in late summer that I had to go to see this with my family. So I quickly reserved some tickets for September to avoid the summer crowds

I don’t know how the facination with King Tut has remained so strong all these years but I know I am not alone whenever I hear something about him and his civilization whether it be a documentary or an exhibit.

My son doesn’t like me to post his picture so it’s only my husband and I in the photos.

There was a mixture of physical items and large projections. It was a really unique way to present the life of this boy king that was very engaging.

Another way this exhibit was different from the ones I visited in the past. The way that the information was presented was utilizing the entire ceiling to floor space in this warehouse in such a unique way. We took my youngest son and I think we all agreed that the exhibit lived up to the hype. The finale was like being at something created at Disney World where we were in the center of the room and the imagery and audio was presented 360 degrees so you couldn’t help but get excited. And just like a great Disney experience, they lead you right into the gift shop before you can exit. Despite my resistance, we all found a couple items we just had to have.

I am so happy we added this to our weekend adventures list. I think the three of us won’t forget this truly unique experience that provided a glimpse into the life and discovery of King Tutankhamun.

Happy Monday!

Thoughts on 4th of July

I thought it would be a great opportunity to share my thoughts as we conclude this years’ celebrations of Independence Day in the United States. As a small child, I remember celebrating the day with pride and looked forward to all of the pretty fireworks. I remember standing for the pledge of allegiance each day at the beginning of our school day with one hand over my chest.

As an adult, the fourth of July and many other holidays like Columbus day have become more problematic for me to accept and celebrate with the same zeal as I did as a child, after learning more of the history behind these dates and individuals, and how incomplete or just downright misleading the history we learned in school was. With how the information is presented in the school curriculum, I am not surprised that most people celebrate without blinking an eye, as the grandeur for what is presented would certainly demand this acknowledgment, but as I stated earlier these stories are very one-sided.

It’s easy to go with the flow without critically looking at our country’s past and present for that matter. When one takes the time to really look at this country’s history, and how it was built on the backs of slaves and indigenous peoples. As well as, all of the cruel inhumane acts that have occurred under the banner of “freedom”, the injustices that continue with our current systemic racism, and all of the atrocities that have been committed under the same flag, it is quite challenging to celebrate with the same vigor, pride, and innocence that I once did.

It is like this country has amnesia when it comes to teaching and acknowledging all of its history in totality. We don’t get to pick and choose. We have to look at it all…

When the words “founding fathers” are mentioned to me, I cringe, knowing that some of these men that professed freedom and equality for “all” were themselves slave owners or direct profiteers from this enterprise. So they were not my founding fathers. People talk about the ideals this country was founded on with pride, without acknowledging this fundamental gap. When these “founding fathers” put forth their rhetoric using words like “humanity” and “mankind”, they were not considering people like me in that group.

“Under the terms of our country’s founding document, slaves were defined as three-fifths of a man, not a real, whole human being.” This doctrine allowed this country to treat black people as less than and as property. Which laid the foundation for all the systemic racism that exists today.

There is so much to unpack about this country’s history but as an African American, I won’t blindly celebrate on holidays that did not include my ancestors as equals. It is kind of foolish. But perhaps as Juneteenth is a more appropriate date to celebrate, I think July 5, 1852, should also be considered. It’s the day that Frederick Douglass gave a speech entitled, “What to the slave is 4th of July”.

Because I am a genealogy lover I have included a video from NPR of Frederick Douglass’ descendants reading his famous speech.

I also included another one performed by the Great James Earl Jones.

I share my thoughts and these videos to illustrate the complicated history of this country and as we continue to work through our racial inequalities and prejudices in this country, we should also be mindful of our annual celebrations (their history, their intent) and how they are perceived and received by fellow Americans such as myself.

Chinese New Year – New products alert!

New card up in the shop celebrating Chinese New Year also known as Spring Festival.

New card up in the shop celebrating Chinese New Year also known as Spring Festival.

I managed to upload my latest cards for sale at Belinda’s Crafts, some Chinese New Years cards.

One of my goals with Belinda’s Crafts is to not only provide multicultural products but to have the opportunity to share cultural histories and traditions with my customers in such a way that they become inspired to broaden their life with the richness of diversity.

So when the opportunities themselves, I will include little historical tidbits here to tickle your senses and push you to deepen your appreciation of the vast world of cultures living on our planet.

Chinese New Year is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. In China, it is also known as the Spring Festival, the literal translation of the modern Chinese name. Chinese New Year celebrations traditionally ran from Chinese New Year’s Day itself, the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar, to the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month, making the festival the longest in the Chinese calendar. Because the Chinese calendar is lunisolar, the Chinese New Year is often referred to as the “Lunar New Year“.

The origin of Chinese New Year is itself centuries old and gains significance because of several myths and traditions. Traditionally, the festival was a time to honor deities as well as ancestors.

– Wikipedia

Spring Festival Card.

Spring Festival Card.

I used some really cool Graphic 45 paper to create the hanging lanterns and a Kanji character stamp that represents happiness.

I believe this card can be used for various purposes throughout the year.

I hope you enjoy the sneek peek and visit my shop to see the other card available for sale.

Have a blessed day!

Belinda

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