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. September 23, 2015. | Issue 5, Volume 63 | thebluebanner.net By Larisa Karr | Features Editor | lakarr@unca.edu Many stories lurk throughout Asheville, whether they are behind the Vaudevillian jazz-folk played by buskers around Pritchard Park, the colorful businesses decorated with funky, hand-made crafts or the laughter echoing from a patio as locals and tourists alike enjoy delicious beer. Akua Adisa, community organizer/healing artist/writer, originally from Milwaukee ‘Tm 28. When I was 18,1 moved to Atlanta, and then five years ago, 1 moved here from At lanta. Now I live here and Atlanta. I’m living bi-local.” What would you say inspires your style? “My style is inspired by, first and foremost, what I’m feeling and working with that in a medic inal way. So, if I’m feeling that I need to be coddled and I need to be comforted, I’ll wear clothes that are veiy comfortable. If I'm feeling bogged down by the white dominance of Ashe ville, then I’ll wear big Africa on my shirt, red black and green, just to make me feel more powerful in my identity. The red, black and green flag is the Pan-African flag but I would say it’s totally beyond Marcus Garvey, It’s embraced by Pan-Africans all over the world.” If you were to say three words that would describe your style, what would you say? “Cozy, queer African.” If you were to cite someone of inspiration, tike a writer or a po litical activist that gives you life and inspire you on a daily basis. Mariah Thomas, originally from Arizona, and Jeremiah Arm strong, originally from Oregon, rock . miners T; “We mine gems and minerals, quartz, aquamarines, things like that and we sell them to rock shops.” Have you been here a long time? M; “We’ve been here for, like, a week.” T: “One week today, actually” M: “We definitely dig Asheville, though, a lot. It’s a really cool city. It’s been really good to us. People are really nice and everybody loves Rosco.” Have you found the rocks and gems here have been pretty good? M: “Yeah, I Just learning about it a cou ple of months ago. I’ve been lucky, enough to meet him and he’s been teaching me all about it. Basically, we go to different mines and dif ferent places where the pretty stones are and go digging for them and it usually works out pretty well for us. He takes them into the stores and works out deals with the owners of rock shops and stuff. We just traded for some clothes for a couple racks that we had.” Read more on page 20 what would you say? “I would say Audre Lorde, Jessica Care Moore, who is a really good poet, Alicia Garza, ^ one of the founders of Black Lives : Matter,who has given me life right now. I would say Erykah Badu. Oh. Andre 3000.” Do you have a personal philos ophy that you live by? “My mantra would be ‘every thing is unfolding perfectly.'” What do you think of Ashe ville? “Asheville is a challenging place to live for me as a queer woman of African descent. I’m trying to bring a community around that where 1 can bring my whole self fonvard but I love this place. The place itself is really healing, the mountains, the materials, minerals, the plant life. This place feels like : a home .I’m making a home here, Adisa withi "I
University of North Carolina at Asheville Student Newspaper
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