Kimberly Renee

Update: According to an email I received from PVH, George Cheeks on their board identifies as African American. 👀 Google his name for a pic. Follow @itskimberlyrenee for more. To support my ongoing work, please see my bio link. ==== As a reminder, the rumor about Mr. Hilfiger saying he didn't want Black folks wearing his clothes is untrue. So please discontinue sharing this falsehood. I say this not to defend any of the brand's actions; just as a commitment to share that which is true. #wetheculture #blackunity #mycalvins #blackculture #blackfashiondesigner

The pregame to the Harlem Renaissance. There’s much more to James Europe, and maybe I’ll continue sharing his story in another reel soon.   Today, let’s talk about the Clef Club; with it, James ensured Black musicians were paid, and had their travel fee and boarding when hired. This organization elevated the professionalism around living and working as a Black musician at the time. In the orchestra, since many of the musicians were self-taught and could not read music, James would sit those who could read music in the center so others could follow along. When they played Carnegie for the first time, it was a fundraiser for The Music School Settlement for Colored People, Inc.  This NYC school ​​provided music education for Black kids who were generally excluded from other music schools (namely the Music School Settlement, which did not accept Black students). To support my ongoing work, see the bio link.  🎵​​“Ballin’ the Jack & What It Takes to Make Me Love You” (medley fox trot, 1914) by Chris Smith and James Reese Europe performed by the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra. #wetheculture #blackmusicians #classicallytrained #blackhistory365

Feds, you watching? 👀 Could this all be attention-grabbing trolling? Of course. But what if it’s not. When the turkey video announcement was first released, "Mint Chip" seemed to really enjoy the attention received. Is Mint Chip's real name Andrew Meyer? It's plausible. But I'm not 100% convinced tbh. #wetheculture #socialactivism #socialjusticewarrior

Call him Uncle? STRANGER DANGER on 10,000,000! He treated these children as poverty pawns to line his pockets while making himself appear as a benevolent savior king. In another video, he had the children say "yellow skin and dark eyes are the most beautiful." From what I can tell, people would pay $ to have a custom video made for them (like... wish me a happy graduation or birthday or whatever). After the BBC investigation was released, authorities jumped into action. Lu Ke fled Malawi. They caught his butt in Zambia and he's now in custody. He's been charged with human trafficking and denied bail. The Chinese Embassy in Malawi stated that they will “closely work with the Malawi side and see to it that this unfortunate issue be properly addressed.” This investigation is the incredible work of journalist @runakocelina. You can see their work and watch the full video on @blacklivitychina. My favorite part of the video was them going off on Lu Ke in Chinese. I ain't understand one word but I was yelling at the screen like “GO OFF!” (Yes, there were English captions... but hopefully you get what I'm saying). #UnapologeticallyAfrican #problack #blackwealth  #PanAfricanism #BlackEmpowerment #AfricanEmpowerment #wetheculture

Just wanted to say thanks 😊

When your entire infrastructure is built on the exploitation of others, it crumbles when they refuse further exploitation. Food Dive reported that COO Fred Scarpulla said, "the plant had a $1 million operating loss per month due to increased costs, supply chain disruptions, and shifts in consumer behavior." Exactly. "Shifts in consumer behavior" as in...we don't eff with y'all no mo' so your food is sitting on the shelves. And blaming labor shortages? There's always labor if you treat your people right. But hey, what do I know… I just tell stories online. 331 jobs were cut with this closing. And for the new folks, what were the workers' complaints? Workers told NBC News "they were expected to produce 25,716 plates of food in an eight-hour shift at the company's Santa Rosa, California plant. They weren't permitted to take bathroom or water breaks." In another instance, a woman showed up to work "wearing an arm brace, prescribed after she couldn't move her hand at the end of a fast-paced shift making frozen burritos in July 2020, she says a supervisor ordered her to remove the brace and return to the production line." [Text ID: I just think it's funny how Amy's Kitchen suddenly closes its San Rosa plant after its poorly-treated factory employees started unionizing.] #wetheculture #amyskitchen

I wonder if any of these formerly fostered kids are still alive? Because I’d want to know if they were OK. I know they’d be pretty old at this point. What disappointed me in all this research was not finding ANYONE who expressed concern about him raising children given his documented sadistic suggestions about kids, especially the Black and Brown ones. He also reportedly remained abstinent in his marriage. That’s a whole other red flag. Couple that with his obsession with enemas, and we could be looking at the plot of a doggone real-life horror movie. Yeah, sure… some of his practices were legit. Light therapy for depression… cool. Light therapy for syphillis… nah. He also strongly protested against that era’s standard cuisine of fatty, salted meats and fried foods. Legit. And he refused to segregate at his hospital. Also legit. But he cofounded the Race Betterment Foundation in 1911, and considered Blacks, Asians and Latinx inferior. Nah. Take this as another reminder that you can be kind to Black folk, even adopt Black kids, and still have racist beliefs. Kindness doesn’t not absolve you from stinking thinking. Learning and unlearning is a lifelong journey. P.S. He is listed as patent holder of peanut butter in the U.S. See my two videos on George Washington Carver for more. #truecrime #truecrimecommunity #truecrimepodcast #wetheculture

Saving non-human animals at the expense of humans is hypocrisy. ‘Cause really, if you don’t care what happens to Black and Brown people while you out here tryna saving the animals and the planet, ain't that merely wh*te s*premacy with a side of cow-, chicken-, and pig cuddles? If it ain’t intersectional, I DON’T WANT IT! And that’s for individuals and corporations. Case(s) in point: Oatly—knowingly continuing to support a company being prosecuted for their ongoing support and use of slave labor. (Full video in bio) (My rec: @willas_kitchen. Alts: @califiafarms; or buy bulk oats and make it at home). Amy’s Kitchen—reportedly treating their factory workers (who are primarily Black & Brown) like trash to make some frozen meals. (Alts: @splendid.spoon, @tattooedcheffoods, @mosaic.foods) Nuggs (aka Simulate)—predatory practices with creators, specifically (still) refusing to compensate @derrickdowneyjr fairly for his part in helping them grow their multi-million dollar business. Last I heard, lawyers refusing to TALK! (Alts: @alphafoods, @impossible_foods) Tates—allegedly threatening workers who want to unionize with deportation. And any and every “cruelty-free” brand (label or not) that isn’t actively working to reduce its negative impact on those who are historically marginalized is complicit in exploitation and oppression. Period. Marketers have known for years that Gen Y (millennials) are more likely to buy from brands “doing good.” It’s why there’s so much greenwashing in the marketing budget. When I say I’m a liberation storyteller, I mean that in totality. I’m about the liberation of all historically marginalized communities (including the animals) and the earth. I’m Black, so a lot of my stories center in Blackness. But that ain’t all I am. Don’t get confused. [Text ID: When vegans say that veganism is “only about the animals” they create a space for continued violence against marginalized communities by corporations in pursuit of greed.]

Guess what else ain't Publix's business. My money. Somebody once said, "when they show you who they are, believe them." Publix (at one time) had some sort of exclusive marketing deal with the Red Diamond (aka “Tomato Thyme”). Stuff like this is usually just about money and greed. Birds of a feather is all I got to say. == Unlike most companies, Publix doesn't display its board members on its website. You've gotta dig through SEC records. And I did. In the video is what they reported to the SEC for their 2022 elections. (One of the Jenkins below is a sibling of Julie. I mistakenly said siblings in the video. But issa lot of family in there.) Jessica L. Blume William E. Crenshaw (nephew of Howard M. Jenkins) Joseph DiBenedetto, Jr. Mark R. Irby Howard M. Jenkins (son of George W. Jenkins; founder of Publix) Jennifer A. Jenkins (second cousin of William E. Crenshaw; first cousin once removed of Howard M. Jenkins) Randall T. Jones, Sr. Stephen M. Knopik David P. Phillips @wetheculture #workersrights #publix #jan6 #insurrection #diversitymatters #antiracism

It’s been two years since all those Black-square having, “we stand with you” saying brands made all those commitments to change. Aight. Who up? 1) Reshare this tagging @gocarvana and ask them to hold to their DEI commitments across all levels of leadership. Don’t FORGET the tag when you add to stories. 2) Go flooooooood their comment section on @gocarvana to keep their word about representation across their leadership teams. 3) (Bonus) If you are not in my text channel (via the free messaging app Telegram), please join; link in bio. There will be another action item there shortly. It’s time for accountability! Run it up! One form of accountability is holding an organization and the people within to the public commitments they made. This is that. Just as an FYI, Carvana cut 2,500 jobs/people this past quarter. Some of the massive lay-offs were done in group Zoom calls. Their stock price has been plunging since August 2021… and yet they were still on the Fortune 500 list for that year. Their revenue in 2021 was $12.8B. @wetheculture #wetheculture #diversityandinclusion #representationmatters #carvana

It’s one thing to teach history. It’s another to make it a sideshow. That’s disgusting. If you visit Original Pierre’s today, you’ll see the plaque on the wall outside the restaurant recognizing the exchange. The gag is that the plaque was placed on the wrong building. New Orleans is one of my favorite places in the world. The food, the culture, the people, and the history are unmatched. And if you're visiting, you must take the Hidden History tour with Leon Waters. I've taken the same tour twice. @wetheculture #wetheculture #neworleans #oralhistory #blackhistory365 #essencefest