ft. ‘Soul’ & Fruit Pizza

February 19, 2021 by Sydney Grant

Happy Friday, everyone! We survived another week and another Valentine’s Day. This is a friendly reminder to finally throw that box of half-eaten chocolate that’s been living on your kitchen counter away. You’re welcome. ICYMI, Kim and Kanye are officially calling it quits, just like Ted Cruz and Texas. On a serious note, head here to learn more about how to provide aid to those impacted by the winter storm.

However you’re planning on spending your weekend, enjoy these quarantivities!

In Honor of Black History Month

People to Know

Marsha P. Johnson

This week, we’re highlighting Marsha P. Johnson, a Black transwoman and LGBTQ activist who helped spearhead the gay rights movement. As co-founder of STAR, which helped find housing for homeless queer youth, Johnson also fought with the Gay Liberation Front for equality and was one of the driving forces behind the Stonewall uprising. You can learn more about Johnson’s life and legacy by streaming The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson on Netflix.

Black-Owned Places to Know

Sweet Chick

448 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Visit their Instagram or website to view their hours and menu.

Come for the chicken and waffles, stay for everything else. You truly can’t go wrong with this menu. From their heavenly mac and cheese to their signature boozy lemonade, Sweet Chick is so good, it’s worth trying to find parking on Fairfax Ave for.

Nimbus Coffee

1115 S Hope St, Los Angeles, CA 90015

Accio, the best coffee in town! Only my fellow Harry Potter nerds will get that one. Regardless of if you have a Potterworld account or not (I’m a Slytherin, in case you were wondering), this wizarding world-themed coffee shop has great beans and even better vibes!

Visit their Instagram for hours and updates.

Klur

Online

Sustainability? Check. Natural ingredients? Check. Irresistably cute packaging? Also check. Meet Klur, you next favorite skin care brand. From purification masks to everyday cleansers, Klur does it all — and it does it all darn well.

Visit their Instagram to order.

Quarant-streams

‘Soul’

Watch this to appreciate ~the little things~:

What better way to celebrate Black History Month than with what might possibly be one of the best Disney-Pixar films ever made? Soul, which was released on Christmas, is both a celebration of Black culture and life itself. It tells the story of Joe Gardner, a middle-school music teacher who lives and breathes jazz. But after finally landing his big break, he falls through a manhole, finding himself stuck in the afterlife in-between reality and “The Great Beyond.”

However, he refuses to go to the light so soon and gets himself one more gig: as the spiritual mentor to an unborn soul named 22. In order to leave the afterlife and begin her life on Earth, 22 must find her “spark,” or as the movie explains, her reason to live. As someone who’s now seen this movie three times through, I believe that I am more than qualified to attest to its greatness. Not only is it the first Pixar film to feature a Black director and lead (Jamie Foxx plays Gardner), but it’s also a beautiful reminder that life is worth living — even when something like a certain pandemic gets in the way. Just have a tissue box at the ready: this one will probably make you cry. If you don’t, then you probably have no soul.

Stream it via Disney+.

‘Lupin’

Watch this if you bought GameStop stock to “stick it to the 1%!”:

Between Call My Agent! and, most recently, Lupin, which hit Netflix late last month, I’ve been on quite the French kick lately. Perhaps it’s because getting a virtual glimpse at the Eiffel Tower through my TV is the closest thing I’ve gotten to a vacation in a year. Or maybe it’s because literally everything sounds better in French. Regardless, the subtitles are worth braving for this one, if for no other reason than that they’ll force you to actually pay attention to the show instead of learning how to make feta pasta on Tik Tok.

Based on the French character Arsène Lupin, gentleman thief and master of disguise, the show centers around Assane Diop (played by the ridiculously charming Omar Sy), who is — you guessed it — also a gentleman thief and master of disguise. No matter that Sy is 6-foot-three and boasts a smile so blinding it makes Chip Skylark look like he needs to invest in some Crest Whitestrips, both of which make him a man I would certainly not forget running into on the street, however, no detective seems to be a match for our heisty hero! The story jumps around a bit, utilizing flashbacks to explain how Assane ended up choosing a master criminal as his role model, rather than say, Amelia Earhart, but rather than compromise the narrative structure, it only adds to the rich picture we get of Assane, particularly why is on a mission to avenge his father’s death. Say au revoir to any plans you had lined up this weekend because once you start Lupin, you’re not going to be able to stop until you’ve binged it all.

Stream it via Hulu.

Quarant-reads

‘Just Mercy’ by Ladee Hubbard

Read this BEFORE you watch the movie:

Sure, you could watch Hollywood’s version of Just Mercy, starring Michael B. Jordan as Bryan Stevenson, but I suggest that you start with the book instead. The gut-wrenching memoir follows the influential lawyer in the early days of his career, back to the very first case that eventually inspired him to found the Equal Justice Initiative. It’s a harrowing window into the (literal) fatal flaws of the criminal justice system and a must-read. But if you opt for the movie instead, I won’t blame you. I mean, who can resist Michael B. Jordan, really?

Purchase now via Amazon.