This post is part of an ongoing #BlackFuturesMonth18 series in February with the Black Lives Matter Network, exclusively shared on Blavity, that aims to explore what the Black feminist future can and should look like for all of us.

"STAY PROUD, MARY."

Music by  Suzi Analogue
GIF by Rafia Santana

For our vision of a Black femme future, our second pair of today's collaborators, Suzi Analogue and Rafia Santana, created an audio-visual moment that is a composite representing a future era of absolute intolerance on the abuse and misuse of the Black femme body and existence. We are overtly stating that the abuse of the Black femme body and existence will not continue to be covertly plagued by societal devaluation.

The quote, "Don't touch me or I'll kill you," comes directly from songwriter, producer and actress Mary J. Blige, as a red-carpet response to the rampant history of misconduct against women found in Hollywood, and the entertainment industry overall.

Suzi Analogue is an incredibly versatile producer, vocalist and designer whose futuristic, forward-thinking music blends abstract hip-hop, neo-soul and electronic experimentation. Rafia’s work touches on everything from mental illness to her identity as a Black woman, and her work is a rethinking of internet and selfie culture, executed via mesmerizing GIFs and carefully-composed photos that make you do a double take.