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Ebony Queen PanAfrican Liberation Coalition Queendom Entertainment

The Final Frost, Part 1

The last time it snowed in Tampa, it was 1977. Fast forward, January 2026, and the entire U.S. is under ice storm warning/ freezing weather watch. Although the time frame of the storms are aligned with normal Winter month behavior, this year things were different… It was unusually hot throughout the holidays everywhere. That all ended in January when this Arctic blast shook the nation, collapsing full power grids almost simultaneously as the government power structure in our society seemed to collapse.

Chronologically, this year has quite a few significant anniversaries that are more than befitting for the times. Coincidental, even. America will reach its 250th birthday this year. If you aren’t aware, there is a theory derived from John Glubb’s The Fate of Empires, which explores “analyzing history from Assyria to modern times, Glubb identified a common life cycle: Age of Pioneers, Conquest, Commerce, Affluence, Intellect, and Decadence. Decadence is characterized by economic inequality, materialism, and societal apathy.”

Based on Glubb’s theory, “America appears to have reached the age of decadence, which Glubb defines as marked by “defensiveness, pessimism, materialism, frivolity, an influx of foreigners, the welfare state, (and) a weakening of religion.” (Thomas, 2015) Per Roz Savage’s layout, these different ages span over a number of years each, with Decadence being one of the final ages;

  • The Age of Pioneers: expansion of territory
  • The Age of Conquests: more expansion, not always peaceably
  • The Age of Commerce: wealth is created through trade and innovation
  • The Age of Affluence: all appears to be well, but the seeds of destruction are being sown
  • The Age of Intellect: the acquired affluence enables people to pursue the life of the mind. Academic institutions may produce sceptical intellectuals who start to question the dominant narratives of the empire, undermining its authority
  • The Age of Decadence: people indulge in excessive consumption in the pursuit of happiness, while in actuality becoming less happy. The civilisation creates diversions for the populace, from gladiator fights to Facebook and Instagram, while people indulge in addiction and debauchery. The values and discipline that enabled the creation of the empire are eroded
  • The Age of Decline and Collapse: inequality grows, increasing numbers are excluded from meaningful work and the means to fulfil their potential. Discontent leads to disruption and the empire collapses.

(Savage, 2019)

Furthermore, in coincidental alignments, February 2026 is the 100th anniversary of the federally recognized celebration of Black History Month. In the 1920’s, the prominent Dr. Carter G Woodson created Negro History Week and architected the annual celebration of Black American accomplishments known as, Black History Month. “As the son of formerly enslaved parents, Dr. Woodson understood that denying people of their history denies them of their humanity. “Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history,” he wrote.” (Melville, 2026)

I could continue on for days with coincidentally aligned dates and times but these two are the most prominent and eerily befitting human events that are echoing their sentiments in this new year. Most Americans, for the first time in decades, are entering the territory of an authoritarian government which, most of us working age and below, have never had to deal with personally on an immediately direct level. The most powerful person in our government is a rouge decoy for all the ultra-rich, powerful people pulling the corruption strings behind the scenes. But for the first time in a very long time, people are fed up and more riled up than ever. Not just politically and financially, but socially and professionally. For years, every single person in America has felt the bubbling up or been directly impacted by a society that is rapidly declining.

January 2026’s Final Frost highlighted the immeasurable depth of corruption that is being inflicted on Americans and negatively impacting our every day lives. The ice storm exposed the weakness of our power sources from the root to the shoot. Power grids across the country failed due to overload. People reeled over the funds they lost preparing for a storm that wasn’t nearly as bad as was predicted. In defense of the meteorologists, we were warned that Trump’s gutting of NOAA & NWS would directly correlate to discrepancies in reporting. “The Trump administration’s 2026 budget appears to be actively working to eliminate the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) along with all NOAA weather laboratories and cooperative institutes and laboratories, which provide weather forecasting data and research from 80 universities and work to improve NOAA’s warning and forecast capabilities. Without continued funding, long-term datasets would be disrupted and the NWS’ ability to inform disaster preparation and provide accurate and timely weather tracking would be at risk. Moreover, the president just signed into law the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which, among other dangerous provisions, repealed all unobligated funds that the Biden administration had designated for improving research, forecasting, monitoring, and public communication of hazardous weather.” (“Lasting Threat of Trump’s Cuts to NOAA and NWS on American Communities,” n.d.) 

While Americans faced the physical impacts of cutting crucial funding for weather reporting, Trump’s DOJ released over 3 million files on January 30th 2026 about the case surrounding notorious child sex offender, serial rapist, and human trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. This file drop cemented the publicly known notion that not only is the sitting president directly involved in the Epstein scandal, so is a large number of mostly prominent ultra-wealthy men whose crooked business dealings benefited off the backs of hardworking, law abiding citizens. Everyone from politicians to celebrities were exposed sending the western world into a frenzy. What now? How can a country where citizens are subjected to torturous policing, corrupted government officials, and invasive surveillance, suddenly be so lenient on the western world’s most powerful figures using money and connections to inflict world changing, immeasurable pain on a mass scale? How can a world that has normalized the rich eating the meek truly be sustainable? Truth is, it can’t and it won’t.

John Glubb told us, with evidence, in 1977 that America may have been on the brink of its collapse. “Glubb says the 250-year average of empires has not varied in 3,000 years, but we don’t learn from history because “our studies are brief and prejudiced.” He means they are mostly about one’s own country.” (Thomas, 2015) Although, it may not be 250 years to date, it’s safe to say that there is no American right now who is absolutely sure about what life beyond Trump and his corruption looks like. We’re in the thick of it and January’s final frost may have been the frigid, sharp wake up that American’s who believe in the Constitution needed. As Dr. Woodson wrote, ““Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history,”(Woodson, 1993,) 

References

The Lasting Threat of Trump’s Cuts to NOAA and NWS on American Communities. (n.d.). Center for American Progress. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-lasting-threat-of-trumps-cuts-to-noaa-and-nws-on-american-communities/

Melville, D. (2026, January 5). 2026 Marks The 100th Anniversary Of Black History Month — A Brief History. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/dougmelville/2026/01/05/2026-marks-the-100th-anniversary-of-black-history-month—a-brief-history/

Savage, R. (2019, October 17). The rise and fall of the human empire. Roz Savage | MP|Ocean Rower|Speaker|Author. https://www.rozsavage.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-human-empire/

Thomas, C. (2015, January 4). Thomas: Will decadent America reach empires’ average age of 250 years? https://www.lubbockonline.com/. https://www.lubbockonline.com/story/opinion/columns/2015/01/04/thomas-will-decadent-america-reach-empires-average-age-250-years/15000869007/

Woodson, C. G. (1993). The mis-education of the Negro. 

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The Fight For Remote Work

Ebony Martin 

Remote Work Argument 

Professor Bunn 

February 1, 2026  

The Fight for Remote Work 

Infrastructure in any capacity requires adaptability and efficiency. The infrastructure of the workplace is no different. The COVID 19 pandemic quickly highlighted how vulnerable businesses were to circumstances beyond their control. Specifically, what was the game plan if employees were required to stay at home and couldn’t be at work physically on a day-to-day basis? Despite the frenzy, companies quickly adjusted to the change and adapted their businesses to be functional for remote workers. Now that the pandemic restrictions have ceased and traditional workplace practices are resuming, what’s the argument for allowing employees to work remotely or a hybrid model? 

There is a plethora of reasons why remote work should be allowed and embraced in modern day workplaces. The most important reason, to employees and employers, is employee well-being. Remote work cuts the daily commute to work, the cost of daily travel, and the physical weight of being in a traditional brick and mortar environment. “For employees, remote work reduces commuting costs, with the average U.S. worker saving $4,000 annually on transportation and related expenses. Additionally, workers in remote roles often experience a better work-life balance, which contributes to increased job satisfaction and productivity.” (Martin, n.d.)  Employees enjoy a healthier lifestyle and work-life balance. Thus, in turn, producing happier and more productive employees. The mass exodus of employees from companies that forced return to work mandates is proof the employees value flexibility over corporate loyalty.  

With the introduction of remote work, intercultural communication and understanding it, became more important than ever. With traditional forms of communication being limited, employees had to adjust to working in teams utilizing different conferencing formats, like Teams and Webex. Thus, leading to the imperative requirement of gathering knowledge about intercultural communications. This communication is crucial, especially for remote workers, because web conferencing requires empathy, understanding, and diction. Different backgrounds, literally and figuratively, contribute directly to the importance of understanding intercultural communications.  

Overall, remote work is not only beneficial to employees but also employers. If incorporated worldwide and large-scale, remote work could change the trajectory of human life. It could create a greater sense of independence in employees, increasing loyalty, and producing better quality. Reducing carbon footprint by minimizing work travel can also lead to a healthier and more sustainable Earth.  

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Ebony Queen Queendom Entertainment

The Consort

It was his smile that struck me. I had been following him on social media for quite some time. His calm, grown, & sexy demeanor on his posts and in his stories was mesmerizing. He didn’t seem to have any red flags on his page, which should’ve been one to begin with, but naively… I fell. 

Knowing that we were both Scorpios created this insatiable tension within me. I knew that we could never truly be together but I was curious at how passionate a friendship between us could be. We were, by nature, both irresistibly magnetic, innately loyal, and passionately sexual. In my mind, this was the kinda connection I needed to revive myself from years of celibacy. A connection that wouldn’t end up being a long draining relationship full of drama and strain. 

I envisioned it modeling after a romance from years before where we never needed words to communicate with each other. We only ever let our bodies do the talking. He’d call for me or I’d call for him and we’d show up for the other every time. No games, no dates, no deep intellectual conversations… we’d just fuck each other tirelessly. We never complicated things by questioning if we were meant for more with each other. It was just pure, unfiltered, passionate fucking and deep down I wanted that again. 

The consort had that kind of mystery about him. He seemed like a man that could fuck me the way I needed it and keep it under wraps. So I pursued him. It started with a simple joke with sexual innuendo. It peaked his interest when I showed him that side of me because I was a real stranger to him. Something I should’ve foreseen being a problem in the future, given the state of the world & relationships today lacking authenticity. But he bit, and soon he’d find that my sweetness was genuine. I showered him with gifts, uplifted him with words of affirmation, and even flexed my femininity to him by performing submission rituals for him. A dangerous game I was playing, doing all that for a man that didn’t know me from a can of paint and wasn’t connected to me or my life in any real way. I was a mystery to him and although it intrigued him, it also is what drove him away in the end.

After a couple of missed opportunities, the night had finally come where our bodies would meet. It was a hot August night and the air was thick with tension and passion. I drove to him which offered a sense of protection for me and a sense of control for him. We both were nervous about what this would finally look like now that we were meeting in real life. I brought everything I could to take the edge off us both… liquor and smoke. We didn’t end up needing either though. 

In his kitchen, I stood still for moment… shy. I looked over at him, dick out and erect, nervous… wondering if I had gotten myself into something that I wasn’t ready for after years of being emotionally regulated by isolation. “Don’t act shy now” his voice thundered, cracking the silence that was consuming me internally. As a divine feminine, donning my beads and with full authority over my sexuality, I bent to his will. His command and sternness threw me into a tizzy. I couldn’t hold back sexually from him the way I had originally planned. I didn’t intend to open myself up to him as deeply as I did on night one but it was like cosmically, it was meant for him to bring that side of me back into the light.

Finish reading at:

https://open.substack.com/pub/scorpiana/p/the-consort?r=2b4j0u&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

https://scorpiana.substack.com

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Ebony Queen PanAfrican Liberation Coalition Queendom Entertainment

Getting Comfortable

Being myself without the pressures of societal and familial expectations started out with me sitting in silence, alone, wondering who I am and what I wanted without those influences. Was college MY dream? Was I pursuing traditional monogamy because of MY desires or my indoctrination? Who was I outside of the titles that I carried daily… when I got home each day and stripped myself down to just me?

It was then that I realized I hadn’t really taken the time to learn and develop myself to my own standards. I wasn’t pursuing my dream job. I wasn’t wearing clothing and perfumes that I had REALLY chosen for myself. I wore what I liked, but mostly, what I thought others would like…. what I thought my conservative family with their piercing judgement may not make a negative comment about. What I thought would attract the type of men that I was “supposed” to attract. I wasn’t building towards the lifestyle I wanted. I was living in the reality that others seen for me.

Breaking free felt orgasmic… literally lol. I vibrated myself into oblivion. I shopped the stores for smells that pulsed off my body just the way I liked. I explored my kinks relentlessly. I donned different wigs to feel out which color felt like mine. I donated the clothes and furniture that weren’t my style. I developed my rituals according to my own desires. I finally showered myself with a kind of love I had never truly allowed myself to have…self-love.

Getting comfortable in my self-love wasn’t hard once I understood what it was and how it made me happy. It was hard for others. I had to set boundaries that cut people off from my expected empathy, unselfishness, and forgiveness. This angered some and made others distant. A few even disappeared. You never know how much a person truly values you until you can’t show up for them… whether it be the first time you’ve said no or the last time you said yes, some loyalty is always dependent upon transactions. For me? I had to let that go, no matter how much it hurt because either way it went… It was always me that was left carrying the pain.

I am throughly enjoying learning myself and growing into who I truly want to be. It’s not all shits and giggles though. It required letting the built up real, raw, heart wrenching emotion free. The disappointments, betrayals, and let-downs… I had to feel them before I could release them. But if I wanted to be comfortable… in my own skin, it was necessary.

Comfort isn’t just given or awarded to anyone. It’s yearned for… it’s earned. For the earliest half of my life, I was yearning… to just be me. Freely. But now, I am free…comfortably.

https://queendomentertainment.com/2025/04/30/awakening-ebony/

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Ebony Queen Queendom Entertainment

Awakening Ebony

I’ve spent a lot of time staring at blankness. Blank pages in all the journals and notebooks with fancy covers that I’ve accumulated over the years… waiting for the words that align with the ones flying around in my mind to magically appear on the pages. Blank pages on computer screens… waiting for every story that lingers in my creative pockets to find its way out on its own. I’ve held back from so much in life… writing included. This year, I entered a phase of my life where I am refusing to keep holding back. I have to let go of all of my expectations and fears, and just live… Life is passing me by regardless of if I am nestled away comfortably in my shell or outside being the person I’m destined to be.

A lot has happened in the last few years. For the first time since 2013, I live alone. No roommates, no family, no man… just me and baby girl, day in and day out. For years, I carried around a deep anxiety that would sit in the pit of my stomach. It never seemed to go away entirely. If it wasn’t bellowing deep in my belly during a stressful situation, it was lingering behind when I was trying my absolute best to not feel it. I learned to suppress it as best I could, chalking it up to a social anxiety that I would just have to get used to carrying. Shockingly… as I grew into my new home, adding personal touches to make it my own, that pit began to melt away….

I found myself delving into passions that I had once forsaken for double employment, relationships, vices, and unresolved emotions. As I re-explored myself and my passions I was able to pinpoint things about myself that previously I wouldn’t have had the capacity to pay attention to. I was too busy being the listener for the talker, the do-er for the needy, and the friend that always put everyone else’s needs over her own. I lessened my light to make it easier for others to feel loved, heard, and comfortable around me. I never really got that in return… Now that I was living alone though, I could do anything and everything I ever wanted, without the weight of catering to another adult human being. I was discovering myself…

I’ve always know who I am, in a sense. But I never had the freedom to be my truest self without insecurity, judgement, or reservation. I kept myself from being the full extent of who I am deep down. I refrained from saying what I was really thinking. I’ve refused to go to places that I should’ve went. I am not doing that anymore.

In order to release and live, I needed to face myself. Throughout my years, I unknowingly carried traumas I didn’t even recognize. The largest being indoctrination. I believe everyone should have the freedom to express their love for God how they see fit. However, our society has brought us up to believe that everyone’s beliefs except their own are wrong. Without naming the organization (cause I’m just not ready for that yet), I too was the victim of a religion that enveloped me as a youth and warped my perspective of the world. Not to say that it was a bad religion or that it was evil. It just wasn’t what I believed in. I didn’t feel my connection to God through that type of congregation. But growing up in the midst of it, you learn that speaking up against it could get you in trouble you may not be ready for.

How did that indoctrination affect me in my youth? It kept me from self-love and self-pleasure. It shielded me from the real woes of life as a means of protection, which ultimately, just left me lost in the world. I knew the word of God and stories of the Bible, but that’s not the world I was met with. I couldn’t maneuver life healthily because I was taught that you had to remain perfect even though the world was doomed from the start. This crippled my emotions, my dreams, and my connection with the divine. Why was life even worth living if suffering, imminent danger, and death was the only thing guaranteed?

It took a lot of time, self-reassurance, and exploration to finally let go of the heaviness of doom that I carried around for most of my youth. It wasn’t until I had a seizure at 29 that I finally woke up to the fact that life was passing me by and I wasn’t happy. Immediately, I knew that I had to make changes and the first act of my newfound confidence was moving into my own place again (https://youtu.be/pWLY2Flg0wo?si=JRxyHfNnYGLZpDqQ).

I thank my home for giving me the space to breathe, create, wail, adjust, and live freely...

I am still on the journey of Awakening Ebony… and I am finally at a point where I feel I can share my journey with the world. I am finally ready to show the world who I am, without fear of retribution. Asè.

To be continued…

I dedicate this series of personal newsletters “Awakening Ebony” to my daughter, Araya. You are my reason to love and legacy in life. May you find all the tidbits in the world that I left to guide you as useful. Remember that whether in physical or in spirit.. I am forever beside you.