- Images from the 2024 Black Zine Fair – Brooklyn, NY
I went to the Black Zine Fair in Gowanus, Brooklyn on May 11th. It took place on the second floor of a huge warehouse, and
+ Read More - Twelve Questions with Ryosuke Tanzawa
Ryosuke Tanzawa is a Japanese-born, New York-based filmmaker who is helping visualize the trailblazing music of young rappers and singers in and around the city. - Life Embedded Into Yarn with Naima Dobbs
A conversation with Naima Dobbs, a versatile fiber artist from Atlanta who designs headwear, tapestries, and other crochet pieces. She walks us through her artmaking practice and her creative goals, and she shares what textile art helps uncover about our lives and histories. - Jamael Dean: On Black Music, Art Education, & Spirituality
A conversation with Jamael Dean, a 21-year-old jazz pianist, composer, producer, and rapper. Jamael and I speak about his musical origins and influences; the role of art education in Black community and life throughout history; how his spiritual practices inform his life, compositions, and creations; and much more. - nwaobiala: Reaching and Reflecting Through Art
A conversation with nwaobiala, a multidisciplinary experimental artist, about art’s position in personal and communal development, the importance of initiating conversation through creation, and how artwork can powerfully navigate queerness, body, generational trauma, and more. - Black Narrative Expression with Maassai
A conversation with Brooklyn rapper, singer, and curator Maassai about creating narratives thru art, making music for other Black women, and the potential for art as a platform for revolution — as well as previewing new music set to release in 2020. - Obi Agwam and Black Stories in Paint
A conversation with Obi Agwam, a painter from New York, about his growth as a painter, his approach towards creating art, and how his Blackness impacts his visuals. - Art and Community Building with Elijah Maura
A conversation with Elijah Maura, an illustrator and multimedia artist, about his artistic influences, his lack of concern for any external gaze, and art’s role in building community. - REESESHOTIT and Artistic Freedom
A conversation with REESESHOTIT about her photography, her creative process, and identity as a young Black artist. - Columbia’s Anti-Black History (feat. Rosalyn Huff & Colby King)
Rosalyn Huff and Colby King — board members of Columbia University’s Black Students Organizations — talk about their recent report about the University’s long history of anti-black violence and policing. - Black Students and Liberation (feat. Professor Stefan Bradley)
Professor Stefan Bradley, author of “Upending the Ivory Tower: Civil Rights, Black Power, and the Ivy League” joins me to talk about Black students’ role in liberation movements and the importance of their contributions throughout history. - Columbia University Divest (feat. Naye Idriss & Sophie Edelhart)
Naye and Sophie, organizers with Columbia University Students for Justice in Palestine, join me to discuss their activism, Palestinian liberation, and demands for Columbia’s divestment from Israeli Apartheid. - Basquiat’s Defacement (feat. Chaedria LaBouvier)
Chaedria LaBouvier, a scholar and curator, joins me to talk about Jean-Michel Basquiat’s 1983 “Defacement” piece, his career, and his identity. - State of our Schools (feat. Educator Jose Vilson)
Jose Vilson, a New York City-based educator, writer, blogger, and activist joins the show to talk about education, schooling, culturally-relevant pedagogy, and much more. - Diamond Gray and “Stranger in the Village”
I talk with Ms. Gray, an artist and high school teacher, about her spring art exhibition, and its relation to themes of family, blackness, and artistic intention. - Colin Kaepernick, August Wilson, and the Denial of Black Freedom
Despite a massive time difference between playwright August Wilson’s “Gem of the Ocean,” and quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s protests, both showcase a similar understanding of the relationship between blackness and freedom in America. - A Note on Charlottesville
“It comes as a great shock around the age of 5, 6, or 7 to discover that the flag to which you have pledged allegiance, along with everybody else, has not pledged allegiance to you.” – James Baldwin, 1965. - Standing Rock in America’s Tradition of Indigenous SuppressionThe disregard of indigenous land is an American reality. I cover this country’s imperialistic relationship with the Native American community and show the importance of Standing Rock’s current position.
- DNC Week in the Streets of Philly: Day 2 Account
I explain why I must actively participate in the fight for Black liberation and why I can not separate myself from the fight to value my life and my community. - DNC Week in the Streets of Philly: Day 1 Account
I’m in Philly for three days to experience DNC Week. Here’s my recap of the Monday, which I spent marching and having fun in the streets of Philadelphia. - Pat Summitt: The Face of Women’s Basketball
Eight days after Coach Summitt passed away, I asked members of the WNBA’s New York Liberty about her impact on the sport. The legend’s imprint on women’s basketball became clear immediately. - Should Athletes Talk About Social and Political Issues?Do professional athletes have an obligation to publicly comment on political and social issues? Amiri shares the Facebook responses from that question and adds his own opinions to the conversation.
- Lead Poisoning in Water with Nancy Loeb
I am joined by environmental expert Nancy Loeb to discuss the potency of lead in water, lead poisoning’s prevalence in America, and more — all in context of Flint’s water crisis. - Welcome to RSOM
Welcome to Royal State of Mind — my newest creation. RSOM will serve as the outlet for my creative expression as a journalist.
Royal State of Mind, established March 6 2016.
RSOM is my outlet for creative expression as a journalist and artist.
