Masjid Malcolm Slabazz held their Annual “Jail Ain’t No Good” parade in Harlem. Members of the Masjid, community leaders, and friends all gather to show support for unity in the community through the theme “Respect for Yourself and Your Family.” Newly elected Councilmember Yusef Salaam spoke at the rally. Iesha Sekou Street Corner Resources was in attendance.
There were two interesting developments in the past week related to efforts by Caribbean governments to make former European slave-trading nations pay for their atrocities, in the form of a British church apologizing for its role and the descendants of indentured East Indians in Suriname demanding an apology from the Netherlands.
The not-so-well-known United Reformed Church in the United Kingdom formally apologized to Jamaica and the region for in role in the Transatlantic slave trade from 1501 to 1867, accepting that it had indeed benefitted from slavery through generous donations from the plantocracy in the region, among other avenues.
“We, the general assembly of the United Reformed Church, mindful of our own history and that of our antecedent bodies, apologize for our role in transatlantic slavery and the scars that continue to blight our society, our church, and the lives of Black people in our midst and around the globe today. We have heard the pain of sisters and brothers who have been hurt and are still being hurt by these legacies, including the continuing scourge of racism,” said Rev. Tessa Robinson.
“We recognise our failure to honor the efforts of our abolitionist forebears by permitting the legacies of transatlantic slavery to continue shaping our world. We offer our apology to God and to our sisters and brothers in Africa, the Caribbean, and their descendants for all that has created and still perpetuates such deep hurt which originated from the horror of slavery. We repent of the hurt we have caused, our reluctance to face up to the sins of the past, and our silence in the face of racism and injustice today,” she added.
The apology came just days after a number of Indo representative groups and leaders in Suriname demanded an apology from the Dutch for their role in bringing Indian peasants from India to replace Africans after emancipation in the 1830s.
The groups argued that the conditions under which the Indians worked were horrible, brutal, and inhuman, and have already dispatched a formal demand letter to King Willem-Alexander, complaining of “deep indignation” for indentureship, saying that they “were made coolies” — unskilled laborers working for less than peppercorn wages under conditions in what was clearly a new form of slavery in this part of the world.
“It is high time for a just recognition and apology towards the Hindustani descendants of those who were made coolies. This action should come directly from you as a symbol of sincere regret and recognition of the immense harm done under the supervision and responsibility of your ancestors to countless individuals and generations. This dark passage from Dutch history can no longer be ignored.”
The Dutch have twice apologized for the African slave trade through then Prime Minister Mark Rutte back in late 2022 and through the King last year. Indians want the apology on or before the first anniversary of the arrival of indentured labor to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) nation in June. So far, there have been no demands for financial reparations but the Dutch have said that they are willing to talk about payments for slavery by way of the umbrella Caribbean Reparations Commission that was established by governments nearly a decade ago. Demand letters for payments have already been sent to various European capitals with a request for a summit on the issue as well.
In the meantime, local pastor Bruce Fletcher, who also serves as the chief executive officer of Operation Save Jamaica and convener of the Churches Reparations Action Forum (CRAF), is of the view that the region needs to be more militant on racial and ethnic issues. There is also need for repair given the centuries of hurt and the lingering effects of slavery to this day.
“I am reminded that the Scriptures speak to the fact that judgment must begin in the house of the Lord. We also bear in mind that the Church is called to be salt and light in the Earth. It is interesting to note that the two accounts given in the book of Acts where the leaders of the Church came together to address matters in the Church, had to do with racial and ethnic issues. One is found in Acts 6 and the other in Acts chapter 15. Therefore, we, in the 21st century, must do no less,” he said, according to a report in the newspaper the JamaicaGleaner.
The protestant church is basically a union of the Presbyterian Church of England and the Congregational Church in England and Wales.
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If you grew up listening to reggaeton, then you know it’s an inherently sexy genre. Lyrically, the songs practically beg you to find the nearest body and thrust your hips against it. But as playful as reggaeton is to the casual listener, the culture around is sequestered by a set of rigid rules: Namely, if you’re a boy, you best be dancing with a girl.
To me, that’s what makes Mercury in Reggaeton, the two-year old Latinx-centered party, so iconic: It happens during the most rule-breaking time of year. If you’re not big into astrology, let me catch you up: Mercury Retrogrades are windows of chaos, of miscommunications, times when the normal order of things gets turned on their head. If you’re a boy who likes to dance with other boys, for example, the retrograde might just be a window of transgressive opportunity.
Photograph: By Luis Nieto Dickens
The idea for Mercury in Reggaeton came about when Puerto Rican DJ and producer Lucas Skywalker started partying in La Perla, a neighborhood in San Juan that throws the wildest, most ass-on-the-wall type parties. Per Lucas, people’s homes are transformed into makeshift nightclubs where cellphone use is forbidden for practical reasons—”the parties are not exactly legal,” he tells me—and then they play reggaeton, hip-hop, and top 40 hits well into the morning.
Inspired by the energy and community that formed around those parties, Lucas wanted to bring a sense of underground reggaeton functions to New York and make them queer-inclusive. He started by recruiting some of his closest DJ friends, including Mazurbate, Joselo, Fried Platano, and Oscar Nñ. Then he found a co-producer, Damn Steven. As for the art direction of the flyers, he was drawn toward the testosterone-heavy, six-pack-ridden ads that a lot of gay Latin parties use. His instructions to the graphic designer were to essentially take those and Bushwickify them. The results were these now emblematic, glossy humanoid characters who are grabbing a planet I assume is Mercury and topping it.
Photograph: Courtesy of DL presents
In order to recreate the underground feel of La Perla parties, the first Mercury in Reggaeton parties took place at H0l0, the stuffy basement venue located in Ridgewood. The concept of a reggaeton party that only happened during the retrogrades was so intriguing that the parties were packed from the get-go. Then, H0L0 shut down temporarily and Lucas scrambled for a new venue. His saving grace came in the form of SILO, a new, cavernous space that was formerly a plane hangar in East Williamsburg, with a DJ setup in the middle, Boiler Room style.
One parameter we stay within is that all the DJs and hosts are Latinx.
The latest Mercury in Reggaeton party at SILO boasted an incredible lineup of DJs that included Bronx-native Dada Cozmic, Manuka Honey, DJ Sammii Blendz, Neueportrait, and Skywalker. “One parameter we stay within is that all the DJs and hosts are Latinx,” Lucas tells me. The party hosts, who each had their own tables cordoned off along the outer edge of the dance floor, included Fashion Faguette, Cesar Lemonier, the clubwear brand LEAK NYC, and salon owner and hair designer Hair by Ian.
Photograph: By Luis Nieto Dickens
Lucas says that one of the most exciting things about the party is how it’s evolved into much more than just a gay Latin party. When you attend a Mercury in Reggaeton, the attendees have now proliferated into what Lucas describes as “a mix of fashion girls, guys who take off their shirts immediately, and straight cis girls who come to dance.”
A mix of fashion girls, guys who take off their shirts immediately, and straight cis girls who come to dance.
Just two years into their inception, Mercury is already one of the most talked about Latin parties in the city, and Lucas is excited to keep dreaming upwards. “I would love to have this party at Brooklyn Mirage, or that type of venue with a festival vibe,” he says. The idea of a big, queer-inclusive reggaeton festival feels really fresh and exciting. If I’m being completely honest, I would buy a ticket to that in a heartbeat. “I just want to make it bigger, and better and elevated.”
Photograph: By Luis Nieto Dickens
An hour-by-hour account of a night at Mercury in Reggaeton
12:20am
I arrive with a group of friends, and the dance floor is already packed. It’s very POC, and the music is bumping. I think I hear some Don Omar mixed with techno, but Shazam can’t really tell me since it’s someone’s original edit.
12:45am
I’m dancing with some friends and I can’t help but notice how hot everyone here is. If people aren’t wearing something cute, they have their shirts off. If they’re not shirtless, they’re wearing crop tops. There really is a chaotic energy and I can’t tell if it’s because of the retrograde or because it’s just starting to get warm in New York, finally.
Photograph: By Luis Nieto Dickens
1:15am
I’m surprised to hear some circuit mixes—a bold choice for Bushwick. But again, somehow it works. I realize here that the problem with circuit parties is not so much the music as much as it is the culture surrounding it, which tends to have a mean popular Fire Island gay energy to it. It’s the first time I’ve heard Latin circuit music surrounded by people who are not all cis men obsessed with being cis men, and I’m kind of living for it.
I meet another Mexican-American person and he tells me he recently got out of a relationship. He says he hasn’t gone out in a long time and also points out that everyone here is so hot. “You absolutely don’t have to do anything with this information,” he says. “But I think you’re cute.”
Photograph: By Luis Nieto Dickens
2am
An aerialist gets on stage and does some acrobatics. It feels random but not in a head-scratching way; more so in a oh my god is that an aerialist?! sort of way. I doubt they have people doing flips like that in La Perla, and I guess this is what makes this a Brooklyn party.
Photograph: By Luis Nieto DickensDJ Dada Cozmic wearing LEAK NYC
2:30am
I go to the bar to take a break from dancing, and there are plenty of people hanging out and talking. This feels like a very social party, the type of party where people just start talking to whoever is next to them, which I don’t experience a lot in NYC nightlife. I end up chatting with some people, including some of Lucas’ friends Papito Suave and Kandy Muse. I exchange socials with a couple of other people. I can’t tell if we’re cruising or genuinely trying to be friends.
Photograph: By Luis Nieto Dickens
3:30am
I lose track of time and realize that the party is almost over. Someone offers me poppers.
4am
SILO’s staff clears out the venue and there’s plenty of people outside. You know a party was a success when people are not ready to go home. They’re all talking about where the afters will be. I order enchiladas and eat them standing up. I must have kept going because I didn’t get home until 9am.
Photograph: By Luis Nieto Dickens
How to catch the next Mercury in Raggaeton party
Where: SILO or other venues around Bushwick.
When: Whenever mercury is in retrograde (that’s usually three or four times/year)
