Being Seen

Double consciousness. Who defines how we are seen and who creates our archives? What is the power of process when creating more accurate representations? The effects of the many gazes that fall upon us and the ones we apply to ourselves. 

Featured in this episode: E. Patrick Johnson (Artist & Scholar), Gioncarlo Valentine (Photographer & Curator), Texas Isaiah (Photographer & Curator).

Mississippi, Texas, the Bronx, Camden. The power of context. The places and landscapes that define us from our countries to our bodies. The stories that take place amongst these backdrops and the ways in which our specificity should never be denied or overlooked.

Featured in this episode: Kiese Laymon (Author), Diedrick Brackens (Artist), Jerome LaMaar (Fashion Designer & Stylist).

Spaces. Space. The places we occupy and a trip that takes us beyond to a point where we can transcend. Eddie Ndopu plans to be the first disabled person to go to space, the first Black queer disabled person. This quest is confirmation of what we should all already know, that people like Eddie are magnificent in all of their multiplicities.

Featured in this episode: Eddie Ndopu (Activist, Author & Scholar) and music by Sun Ra.

What is the impact of the roles we are often asked to play? How do we make more spaces where these roles can be self-defined? How do we use our roles to shift culture and empower others?

Featured in this episode: George M. Johnson (Author & Activist), Kenyon Farrow (Activist), Samira Nasr (Editor-In-Chief, Harper's Bazaar).

Who decides what stories will be told and how can we rewrite the narrative of what constitutes the “American” story? How can stories become our proof of life? What will it take to bring forth more stories from places that aren’t officially sanctioned? 

Featured in this episode: Saeed Jones (Poet & Author), Ben Cory Jones (Writer, Director & Producer), Yashua Simmons (Fashion Editor & Stylist) and Marc Meachem.

A Strange Loop, making it in Hollywood, getting to Broadway, Billie Holiday. What is the story behind culture firsts that break down barriers, push back against invisibility and refute stereotypes? How does the creation impact the creator? Why are we still fighting to get these firsts made?

Featured in this episode: Lee Daniels (Writer, Director & Producer), Jordan E. Cooper (Writer & Actor), Michael R. Jackson (Playwright), and Wesley Morris (NYT Culture Critic).