Honey and Spice(113)
Our sources have just informed us that Zack Kingsford, the recently disgraced former president of Blackwell, is being investigated by the university for corruption and harassment after Kiki Banjo’s exposure of him at the AfroWinter Ball. Her accusations amplified the protests lobbied against him in the past month, making it impossible for the university to ignore what they have been ignoring for months.
Simi Coker provided a damning dossier to the university bosses. The news has gained traction across campuses nationwide and it is possible that the university’s fear of embarrassment has forced them to act. The Whitewell Knights have formally disbanded and have been condemned by the university. Zack Kingsford has been expelled from campus.
The Teahouse Well, Blackwellians, looks like the presidency might just get a whole lot sweeter.
In a shocking turn of events, following the ‘Live Brown Sugar Session’ (that was far, far too corny for my tastes), Blackwellians have collectively called for Kiki Banjo to put herself forward for interim president and Adwoa Baker has withdrawn herself from the race, putting herself forward for the vice presidency instead.
If Banjo does win, I hope she and her boyfriend manage to keep their making out to themselves because frankly I’m sick of seeing that much of their tongues in communal spaces and it’s unbecoming for a leader to engage in that much PDA. Seriously, it’s gross. We get it. You’re in love. You’re not the only ones.
I am sure Adwoa Baker will make a fine vice president if their cabinet wins. Some may say the vice president’s role is more important than the president’s, a more strategic position. The team, including Aminah, Shanti, and Chioma, call themselves the Dahomey Amazons, after the all-bad-bitch military regiment in the ancient kingdom. They are up against . . . an all-male party called the Kingsford Kollective. (Really? Okay. Sure.) And the Pow Party. (I am seriously so confused—is this some kind of dance competition from an early noughties movie?!) Best wishes to all involved.
Brooks Media & Arts Institute New York University
Dear Miss Kiki Banjo, Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that you have been granted an unconditional offer and full grant on our cross-media summer fellowship program. We look forward to seeing you in July.
Faithfully,
Loretta Davis Dean
Acknowledgments
In Yoruba culture, twins are called Taiwo and Kehinde. Taiwo is physically firstborn, but is thought to be the spiritual younger child who was sent out by the eldest to “taste the world,” or “try the world,” first. Kehinde, the eldest, is born second, after their spiritual younger sibling has gone out and confirmed that the world is somewhere that they should venture out to—in other words, after Taiwo has informed Kehinde that the world is worth living in. There is a hope embedded in this lore, this notion that despite the darkness of the world, some hope was detected, some light, some joy, some goodness. That living in the world is worth pursuing. Love in Color is the Taiwo to Honey and Spice’s Kehinde. Honey and Spice is my spiritual firstborn, conceived years ago, living with me through many transitions in my life, growing and deepening as I matured. While I planned for Honey and Spice to be my first book, Love in Color came along and altered those plans—and believe me it took some convincing! Honey and Spice is my firstborn! However, I am so glad that Love in Color was birthed first, because it encapsulated my mission statement, confirming why I do what I do, why I am who I am. It was an introduction, a taster of the many flavors of romance and love that I explore and revere, and it affirmed that not only is there a space for the stories I want to tell, but a community for them. When I came back to shaping and building Honey and Spice, I came bolstered by the many things Love in Color taught me about my craft and my subject matter, by the people who held the stories close to their hearts and breathed life into them by loving them. So I would like to acknowledge Love in Color and all that came with it for tasting the world first and telling Honey and Spice that there was space, to make itself ready.
In all that, my faith propelled me, so I would, as always, like to thank God, who is love; who is light; who gave me the compulsion, the need, to create, to craft, and to imagine.
My perpetual gratitude and love to Mummy and Daddy, Olukemi and Olufemi Babalola, whose unwavering love and support and belief have given me a confidence that has propelled me through the darkest and hardest of moments. I can do what I can do because of you. If you never doubted me, how dare I doubt myself? Thank you, Daddy, for your WhatsApp blasts of every single bit of news that has my name in it, and for ensuring that everyone who has met you knows that your “dear daughter” is an author. Thank you so much for answering every random message asking for elucidation on Yoruba grammar and diacritics immediately, and with such intellectual vigor and patience! My professor! Mummy, thank you for your no-nonsense tenderness, for giving me words that help to piece myself back together when I feel scattered, for reminding me who I am. Just knowing I have your blood in me, that you are part of me, makes me believe in my capabilities. My therapist! Thank you, parents, for always trying to understand even when you don’t and for your eager curiosity about my world even when it seems far from your own—thank you for sharing it with me. The joy is in making you proud.
Katie Packer! My dear KP. Book doula! Thank you so much for believing in this world as much as I do; for understanding this world as much as I do; for asking the questions that helped me enrich it, develop it, and challenge it, so it could be the best version of the story I could produce. Thank you for settling my nerves and being so capable even when I am having a meltdown! Thanks for understanding the need for Beyoncé references, thanks for understanding when I need time, and thanks for your effervescence and love. I am also glad that we always know when we’re in editor mode and diva/writer mode so the lines don’t get blurred! But I am also glad when you know that I need a friend. You have a sharp eye, and you are such a force, and I can’t wait till you run tings! KP, Bad B.