Gina Murrell

Faded color photo of a shorthaired black cat flomped in a dirt yard. You can see its ears are pointed back at the camera, and its forepaws have little polydactyl thumbs!

Those ears are in the “I hear you but I’m ignoring you” position. Photo from my collection, no date/info.

11 more NYC libraries will soon open on Sundays A $2 million City Council deal will expand seven-day service to more than 30 branches citywide.

Eleven more libraries will reopen on Sundays, thanks to the leadership of the City Council. They never should've been closed in the first place.

As Mayor, I'll end this absurd budget dance that keeps our beloved libraries in limbo year after year.

I’m gonna totally be one of those old Black ladies walking around with a mint in one hand and a gently used Kleenex crumpled in the other 👍🏾😆

My left hand with three Life Savers mint candies, individually wrapped, in the palm. Aug 5, 2025.

They restocked the staff room with these Life Savers mint candies and my workweek has instantly gotten better lol 😆 😋 #libraries #NYC

a red button inscribed with “never forget 5 aug 2023, montgomery, al” and featuring a folding chair

never forget 🫡🫡

Happy Alabama Slamma Day to those who celebrate

Thank you ❤️ Sending condolences to your mom and the rest of the family.

Uncle Larry was one of the two most intimidating men (second only to my father, now in his 80s) I ever knew. He entered a room and backs straightened. Children got quiet. A force. And handsome. I remember him in Magnum P.I. shorts lol 😆 Wild that he’s gone. #aging #mortality #BlackFamilies

In the past two years, five aunts and uncles have died. Last week, Aunt Liz (wife of my mother’s oldest brother) died. Saturday going into Sunday, Uncle Larry (husband of one of my mother’s younger sisters) died. 💐 #aging #mortality #BlackFamilies

About 15 years ago, I went through a wave of grandparents dying. Now, it’s aunts and uncles. 😢💐 #aging #mortality #BlackFamilies

Aug. 4, 1964 | Missing Civil Rights Workers Found Dead in Mississippi Learn more about our history of racial injustice.

On this day in 1964, the bodies of three missing civil rights workers—James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner—were found in Longdale, Mississippi, shot and buried in a shallow grave.

Curtis Mayfield wearing a yellow suit on the cover of his 1970 debut album, Curtis.

Curtis Mayfield - Move On Up (1970) single edit #SaturdaySounds
youtu.be/A9RMr9KuVZo?...

And the fact that Jack Whitten invented his own tools may not even be the most surprising & interesting fact about him. I always thought that he figuratively defied gravity at multiple scales & dimensions

www.moma.org/magazine/art...

Polka dots
Horizontal stripes
Floral against black
Chevron
Gingham

I used to see him at Dandy Warhols shows.

Sign, outside the LeFrak Center at Lakeside, by Prospect Park Alliance about the “Summer Season Coming Soon!” Aug 3, 2025.

Just as I was getting into a groove, daytime skating ended at the rink. After opening weekend, admission is $10 for day skating (11am-4pm). Night skating (I think 7-10pm), called “Roller Disco Nights,” is $20. Worth the subway ride to #Brooklyn from Queens. www.prospectpark.org/visit-the-pa... #NYC

Looking down at my silvery Sure-Grip Prism Outdoor Roller Skates, with separately purchased High-Top Waxed Laces in purple, all bought online from RollerSkateNation.com. The wheels are an ocean blue. (I hope to swap out the wheels with ones that light up.) Got compliments on these skates today. Aug 3, 2025.

Brought my own skates, bought back in April (on sale) from RollerSkateNation.com. Today was my 1st time wearing them out and 1st time on skates in over 10 years. Practiced alongside the rink, getting my balance and bearings (falling only once), before skating on the rink itself. 🛼 #Brooklyn #NYC

The words “The LeFrak Center” in metal letters on an exterior gray stone wall of the LeFrak Center at Lakeside. Aug 3, 2025.

LeFrak Center at Lakeside, which is within Prospect Park, is about a 10-minute walk from the Q train at Parkside Station. I noticed public restrooms (women’s, men’s). There are storage lockers, which no one used. You give your personal belongings to staff at the skate rental counter. #Brooklyn #NYC

Covered rink on which there are roller skaters, with spectators standing along the perimeter, at LeFrak Center at Lakeside at Prospect Park in Brooklyn. August 3, 2025.

Today I went roller skating at LeFrak Center at Lakeside, which had its opening weekend yesterday and today. As part of the opening weekend celebration, admission was free to the covered, outdoor roller rink, which is in Prospect Park. 🛼 www.prospectpark.org/visit-the-pa... #Brooklyn #NYC

"far as I'm concerned, there can never be too much of you!"

You betta say dat!!!!!

So for folks who weren't there, here's what happened with Talib:

1. A Black women, Maya, made a comment about rappers (PLURAL, I don't even think he was named) patterns of having light skin wives in I think a larger convo about colorism. It was an observation, not an insult.

Target really is a one-stop-shop, and there are a couple products there that I’ve yet to find in other brick-and-mortar stores. But I can do without them or have since found alternatives.

I’ve just added American Eagle to the list (along with Target, which I’m still boycotting). It’s a shame because I had been impressed with their past inclusivity, and I love their undies (Aerie), which were the only things I bought from AE. But there are other places I can shop for underwear, so…🤷🏾‍♀️

This is something I think about. Though I’m not being forced to boycott, I’m making the choice to boycott because choosing not to give my money to a company whose actions don’t align with my values feels right on a personal level. And I understand having a choice as to where to spend is a privilege.

Aug. 2, 1924: James Baldwin Born James Baldwin was born in Harlem, New York.

"We are living through a very dangerous time. . . The paradox of education is precisely this — that as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated." — James Baldwin (born #tdih 1924) "A Talk to Teachers" ⬇️
www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/ja...

Reminds me of when, last month, I bought plumcots (packaged in a plastic container) from Trader Joe’s. Got home, opened the container, and discovered all were mushy to the point where eating them wouldn’t have been a good idea. I was so mad lol 😆😭

James Baldwin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Cosmic Tones Research Trio, by The Cosmic Tones Research Trio 8 track album

Oh wow this is incredible
mississippirecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-co...

Listened to it the other night for the first time in a long time, and it still sounds just as dreamy. Joey McIntyre sang his heart out 😭

Name another song that mentions the word ‘girl’

“Please Don't Go Girl,” by New Kids on the Block

youtu.be/rsVkhtiofPI?...