Today’s Summer School episode from the IBI Archive is episode 2 with architect, designer, and scholar, Dr. Mabel O. Wilson. Doing double duty as a Professor of Architecture and as Associate Director of the Institute for Research in African American Studies, both at Columbia University, Dr. Wilson is not your traditional designer of buildings. Her trans-disciplinary practice extends well beyond the built environment into the worlds of curation, performance, art, and cultural history.

We discuss how Mabel’s problems fitting in as a young architect led to designing her own path to success (5:40), her advice for young architectural students (9:00), what Beyonce stole from her (21:30), the ways in which design and structures have been used to create the concepts of both blackness and whiteness (26:26), the radical change needed for an equitable America (32:27), the invisibility of Black women (35:00) and how mass incarceration not only tied a generation of Black men to a failing capitalist state, but left a generation of Black women without partners (49:40).

Links we mention in the episode:

Mabel's Instagram: @studio_and

Her new book: Race and Modern Architecture: A Critical History from the Enlightenment to the Present 

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend.

Visit us on IBI Digital at blackimagination.com 

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

Connect with us on Instagram at @blackimagination

Today’s Summer School episode from the IBI Archive is episode 3 with writer Casey Gerald. Born in Oak Cliff Texas, Casey’s life reads like a textbook definition of The American Dream.  Oh you know, Small town boy from a troubled home makes good and lands in the Ivy Leagues—Yale to be exact. Casey later goes off to Harvard Business school and co-founds the nonprofit MBAs Across America, for which he is  listed as one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People.  All of this and more can be found in his memoir, There Will be No Miracles Here, which was listed by both NPR and The New York Times as one of the best books of 2018.  His Ted Talk, “The Gospel of Doubt” has over 2.1 million views. Did I mention he was also a Rhodes Semifinalist?

Recorded via Zoom while under lockdown,  we speak about when Casey realized the "American Dream" was a scam (16:35), how he rediscovered his inner child (19:30), the malleability of time (26:10), the first boy he ever loved (40:15), the gift of being gay (47:25), what prisons and the coronavirus have in common (50:30), the joy of blackness (56:07), why it's always a good idea to leave New York City (59:30), and the path to finding internal joy (1:02:43) We cover so many amazing topics, and Casey shows us a side of himself he rarely ever does.   This episode takes on a more conversational tone, and a few F-bombs are dropped, be warned, lol.

Links we mention in the episode:

Casey's Instagram and Twitter: @caseygerald

Casey's book: There Will Be No Miracles Here

Abraham Hicks:  https://www.abraham-hicks.com

Marianne Williamson's A Return to Love

Bell Hook's All About Love: New Visions

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend.

Visit us on IBI Digital at blackimagination.com 

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

Connect with us on Instagram at @blackimagination

Today’s Summer School episode from the IBI Archive is episode 23 with Heather McGhee. Heather designs and promotes solutions to inequality in America.  Do you know Heather?  You might know Heather. Maybe you saw her on NBC’s Meet the Press, or MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” Or perhaps you saw her sparring with Republican Senator John Kennedy during the confirmation hearings of supreme court Justice Neil Gorsuch, or it just may have been that time when, while on C-Span, an older white gentleman called in to acknowledge his own racism and prejudice, and wanted Heather’s advice on how to change, how to be a better American Citizen, and Heather’s response went… viral. 

Born on the south side of Chicago, and raised in the suburbs of Evanston IL, Heather McGhee has made a career out of fighting for a more equal America. She holds a B.A. in American Studies from Yale University and a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and for the last two decades, helped build the nonpartisan “think and do” tank, Demos, later serving as president for four years. She’s argued before the Supreme Court to protect voting rights. She’s helped Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz design anti-bias training for its 250,000 employees. She’s lead research campaigns behind successful wage increases for low-wage workers on federal contracts as well as at Walmart and McDonalds.

And that’s like, 5% of her resume. But of course, Heather is so much more than her work. She’s also a wife and mother of a beautiful two-year-old, who makes a small cameo in this episode. 

Her new book being released this week, and also partially written while carrying the aforementioned toddler, is called The Sum of Us. It unravels the mystery of how. How the wealthiest country on earth suffers some of its worst health disparities, and has a collapsing infrastructure, all while its citizens are crippled by insurmountable levels of debt. One word: Racism. And you know who actually suffers most?  White people. 

In this episode we discuss Heather’s journey into the hallowed halls of our country’s government, How motherhood has changed her view of the world, what parents can do to ensure their children receive good educations, even while under lockdown, and how we ALL lose in the zero-sum game of racism. 

Heather's website: https://heathermcghee.com

Get your copy of "The Sum of Us" here.

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend.

Visit us on IBI Digital at blackimagination.com 

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

Connect with us on Instagram at @blackimagination

And now a word from our Founder & Host Dario Calmese. Thank you for your support and being a part of our community. We are taking a break, but we will not leave you wanting. Class is still in session. This Summer School Semester we will be sharing some of our favorite previous episodes. In case you missed it, or want to revisit and catch more pearls of wisdom with us. 

We are looking forward to seeing you in person this fall at our physical location at the Oculus at World Trade Center in New York.  But you don't have to wait until then to connect with us. All of our links are listed below. 

The world we live in has been designed and we must design our way out of it.

Stay Curious and Keep Dreaming!

Connect with us

Visit us at blackimagination.com 

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

Stay Informed sign up for our Newsletter

Be Social IG: @blackimagination LinkedIn: The Institute of Black Imagination.

For any question or potential interview requests, write to: [email protected]

Today’s episode is an odyssey through Mili’s own journey through ancestral ties, personal identity, and relationships. She walks us through the process of engaging our ancestors in our everyday lives. We explore the necessity for connection and healing between Africans and African Americans. And we delve into the lessons one learns by simply sitting with questions that may never be answered. Tell us what you think about today’s episode. Don’t be shy, share your favorite moment with us on Twitter and Instagram at @blackimagination. Remember, you can view this episode and others on our YouTube channel The Institute of Black Imagination. If you’re interested in getting lost in what else we have going on, visit us on IBI Digital at blackimagination.com where this and other content live. 

Things Mentioned

Transkei - Officially the Republic of Transkei, was an unrecognized State in the Southeastern Region of South Africa from 1976 to 1994

Apartheid in South Africa -  a system of institutionalized racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s.

Bantu - a general term for over 400 different ethnic groups in Africa, from Cameroon to South Africa

Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground - It was the first municipal burial ground of the city of Richmond, VA. It was historically known as the "Burial Ground for Negroes".

Milisuthando - Sundance Film Festival 2023

What to Read

South Africa: The Rise and Fall of Apartheid by Nancy L. Clark, William H. Worger

The Bantu, Past and Present; an Ethnographical and Historical Study of the Native Races of South Africa  by Sm Molema

The Inheritors: An Intimate Portrait of South Africa's Racial Reckoning by Eve Fairbanks

What to listen to

Grandma’s Hands by Bill Withers

Sounds From The Ancestors by Kenny Garrett

It’s Wrong (Apartheid) by Stevie Wonder

African Secret Society by Hugh Masekela

Who to follow

Follow Milisuthando Bongela on IG @msmillib and by visiting her website.

Learn more about her film at Milisuthando Bongela.

This conversation was recorded on March 16th, 2023.

Host Dario Calmese 

Producer: Coniqua Johnson 

Visual Art Direction and Designs: 

River Wildmen, Adam Selah

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Bookings: K.T. Thompson

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Audio Edited by Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com 

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

Today’s episode is an odyssey through Mili’s own journey through ancestral ties, personal identity, and relationships. She walks us through the process of engaging our ancestors in our everyday lives. We explore the necessity for connection and healing between Africans and African Americans. And we delve into the lessons one learns by simply sitting with questions that may never be answered. Tell us what you think about today’s episode. Don’t be shy, share your favorite moment with us on Twitter and Instagram at @blackimagination. Remember, you can view this episode and others on our YouTube channel The Institute of Black Imagination. If you’re interested in getting lost in what else we have going on, visit us on IBI Digital at blackimagination.com where this and other content live. 

Things Mentioned

Transkei - Officially the Republic of Transkei, was an unrecognized State in the Southeastern Region of South Africa from 1976 to 1994

Apartheid in South Africa -  a system of institutionalized racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s.

Bantu - a general term for over 400 different ethnic groups in Africa, from Cameroon to South Africa

Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground - It was the first municipal burial ground of the city of Richmond, VA. It was historically known as the "Burial Ground for Negroes".

Milisuthando - Sundance Film Festival 2023

What to Read

South Africa: The Rise and Fall of Apartheid by Nancy L. Clark, William H. Worger

The Bantu, Past and Present; an Ethnographical and Historical Study of the Native Races of South Africa  by Sm Molema

The Inheritors: An Intimate Portrait of South Africa's Racial Reckoning by Eve Fairbanks

What to listen to

Grandma’s Hands by Bill Withers

Sounds From The Ancestors by Kenny Garrett

It’s Wrong (Apartheid) by Stevie Wonder

African Secret Society by Hugh Masekela

Who to follow

Follow Milisuthando Bongela on IG @msmillib and by visiting her website.

Learn more about her film at Milisuthando Bongela.

This conversation was recorded on March 16th, 2023.

Host Dario Calmese 

Producer: Coniqua Johnson 

Visual Art Direction and Designs: 

River Wildmen, Adam Selah

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Bookings: K.T. Thompson

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Audio Edited by Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com 

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

In today’s episode, Rayvon gives us a peek into the locker room, revealing how athletic teams use biometric data to craft game day strategy. He also shares the drawbacks of using technology and Artificial Intelligence not only on the playing field but also in the courtroom.  He shines a light on the importance of creating pathways for black and brown individuals to gain access to research funding, and why our future depends on it. Let us know what your favorite moment was in today’s episode on Twitter and Instagram at @blackimagination. To view this full episode and others, head over to our YouTube channel The Institute of Black Imagination. For this and more content visit us on IBI Digital at blackimagination.com.

Things Mentioned

Granville T. Woods - American inventor

Lewis H. Latimer - American inventor, Draftsman

Shelby J. Davidson - American lawyer and inventor.

Nike Alphaflys - sneakers banned from Tokyo Olympics

National Science Foundation

What to Read

Game Changer: The Technoscientific Revolution in Sports by Rayvon Fouché

Black Inventors in the Age of Segregation  by Rayvon Fouché

Plant, Performance and the Endocannabinoid System: 21st Century Sports Medicine by Doug Brown,  Don McLaughlin

Sports Science and Technology in the Real World by Janet Slingerland

What to listen to

Black Man - Stevie Wonder

I’m The One - DJ Khaied ft. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper, Lil Wayne

We Win (Space Jam: A New Legacy) - Kirk Franklin and Lil Baby

Who to follow

Connect with Rayvon Fouché on LinkedIn.

Learn more about Rayvon Fouché by visiting his website Rayvon Fouché or through his work at the NSF - National Science Foundation.

This conversation was recorded on March 30th, 2023.

Host Dario Calmese 

Producer: Coniqua Johnson 

Visual Art Direction and Designs: 

River Wildmen, Adam Selah 

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Bookings: K.T. Thompson

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Audio Edited by Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com 

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

In today’s episode, Alia gives us a rundown on the role of the gallery and gallery representation. She shares what young artists should be considering when starting their careers, and helpful guidance on how to price their work. She weighs in on the impacts and pitfalls of social media for artists, the direction of NFT’s and what the art world needs to do to become more egalitarian. We’re trying something new with today’s episode, so we want you to weigh in. Let us know what you think on Twitter and Instagram at @blackimagination. To view this episode and others head over to our YouTube channel The Institute of Black Imagination. For this and more content visit us on IBI Digital at blackimagination.com. 

Things mentioned

Jeffrey Deitch - Art Gallery

Jeffrey Deitch -  American art dealer and curator

Vernissage - a private viewing of paintings before public exhibition.

Shibboleth - a custom, principle, or belief distinguishing a particular class or group of people

Sotheby's Institute of Art  

What to Read

Clay Pop by Alia Dahl

The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art by Donald Thompson

Talking Prices: Symbolic Meanings of Prices on the Market for Contemporary Art by Olav Velthius

Blk Art: The Audacious Legacy of Black Artists and Models in Western Art by Zaria Ware

The Black Market: A Guide to art collecting by Charles Moore

What to listen to

Respect - Aretha Franklin

Alright - Kendrick Lamar

Picasso Babe - Jay-Z

Rich Nigazz - J. Cole

Who to follow

Follow Alia Dahl on IG @aliajessenia and @jeffreydeitchgallery

Learn more about her at Alia Dahl 

This conversation was recorded on March 24th, 2023.

Host Dario Calmese 

Producer: Coniqua Johnson 

Visual Art Direction and Designs: 

River Wildmen, Adam Selah

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Bookings: K.T. Thompson

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Audio Edited by Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com 

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

Today's episode is an exploration of the stars, so get your notebooks out.  Dossé-Via walks us through the African origins of modern astrology, how star-gazing is actually compatible if not embedded within Christianity, Islam, and other religious practices, and what compatibility REALLY means. Not to mention breaking down all those astrological houses and alignments and, well, you get the picture. Grab your paper and sharpen your pencils, today’s episode will be out of this world.(who writes this stuff?) We want to hear from you, share your favorite moment with us on Twitter and Instagram at @blackimagination. Be sure to check out our YouTube channel The Institute of Black Imagination and soar through the galaxy of IBI Digital at blackimagination.com where this and other content resides.

Things mentioned

ScorpioMystique - Where Scorpios Come to Soar

Magic & Melanin - African Travel Experience

The Houses in Astrology and Their Meaning

Epistemology - the theory of knowledge, especially with regard to its methods, validity, and scope. 

Trace Your African Roots - African Ancestry

What to Read

Signs Skymates: The Ultimate Guide to Astrological Compatibility by Dossé-Via Trenou

You Were Born for This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance by Chani Nicholas

What to listen to

Dream with Dossé-Via by Dossé-Via

Signs by Beyonce

Written in the Stars from AIDA on Broadway sung by Heather Headley & Adam Pascal

Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In by The 5th Dimension

Who to follow

Follow Dossé-Via on IG @dossevia and @scorpiomystique

Learn more about her at Dossé-Via

This conversation was recorded on January 19th, 2023.

Host Dario Calmese 

Producer: Coniqua Johnson 

Visual Art Direction and Designs: 

River Wildmen, Adam Selah, Will Domingue

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Bookings: K.T. Thompson

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Audio Edited by Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com 

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

In today's episode, Robert explores what it means to lead with legacy in mind. We talk through the lessons learned from fully immersing oneself in their craft and the importance of building a community. Today’s episode is sure to leave you inspired so be sure to share your most motivational moments with us over on Twitter and Instagram at @blackimagination. You can also view this episode and catch up on others by visiting and subscribing to our YouTube channel The Institute of Black Imagination. You can find this and more content on IBI Digital at blackimagination.com.

Things Mentioned

Robert Moses - “The Master Builder” 

History of Hip-Hop

Miami (Liberty City) Riot, 1980

Liberty City Riots 1968

What to Read

My Story, My Dance: Robert Battle's Journey to Alvin Ailey by Lesa Cline-Ransome (Author)  Robert Battle (Foreword)

Dancing Revelations: Alvin Ailey's Embodiment of African American Culture by Thomas F Defrantz

Black Bodies, White Gazes: The Continuing Significance of Race in America by George Yancy

I Am Dance: Words and Images of the Black Dancer by Hal Banfield 

What to listen to

Saving All My Love - Whitney Houston

Living For The City - Stevie Wonder 

Miami - Will Smith

Revelations - Album by Alvin Ailey

Who to follow

Follow Robert Battle on IG @alvinailey

Learn more about Robert at Robert Battle 

This conversation was recorded on October 7th, 2022.

Host Dario Calmese 

Producer: Coniqua Johnson 

Visual Art Direction and Designs: 

River Wildmen, Adam Selah, Will Domingue

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Bookings: K.T. Thompson

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Audio Edited by Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com 

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.