“It Takes a Village”
“It Takes A Village: Basics of Boyhood and Messages for Manhood” is a multimedia research project launched in 2021. ITAV is specifically interested in examining how social media impacts the public and mental health of both content creators and the broader Black community. ITAV is titled after the African proverb that acknowledges the importance of family and community in raising and rearing children.
We have two components of the project.
A photography exhibition, Framing Fatherhood, that debuted at the Corcoran Gallery of Art on June 19, 2022. That exhibition is being adopted for a coffee table book under the same name that will be published by Andrews McMeel Publishing in fall 2025.
The Basics of Boyhood podcast is an honest and humorous conversation between myself and my 10-year old son, Isaiah about the nuances of growing up as an only child in a single parent household.
We tackle topics ranging from cultural identity to personal hygiene, digital literacy and grief with the help of counselors, community leaders, coaches, authors, activists and athletes. Season one was released in spring 2024 with season two in production.
This research is supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation through a grant to the Institute for Data, Democracy & Politics at The George Washington University.
Black Women in TV
“The Evolution of Black Women in Television” seeks to interrogate the representation of Black women in television. I explore how the increase of Black women in media ownership and creative executive roles (producers, showrunners, directors and writers) in the last 30 years affected the fundamental cultural shift in Black women’s representation on television, which in turn parallels the political, social, economic and cultural advancements of Black women in America from 1950 to 2017.
I also examines Black women as a diverse television audience, discussing how they interact and respond to the constantly evolving television representation of their image and likeness, looking specifically at how social media is used as a tool of audience engagement. The book’s companion website provides resources for understanding race in Hollywood and support for other Black women looking to break into the industry.
I am currently editing my second book, “Sacred Sisterhoods: A Celebration of Black Women on Television and Film” that will be published with The Ohio State University Press in spring 2025.
The Minority VOTE
The Minority Vote is a nonfiction docuseries unfolding during the 2016 Presidential Election. This entrepreneurial project will document and research millennial motivations for voting, and create a toolkit and online interactive website to equip minority millennials with the tools to get informed and get to the ballot.
Newsroom U
Newsroom U facilitates and captures immersive learning experiences for journalism students. The White House Student Press Briefing and Multimedia Weekend marks the initiative’s inaugural launch. Approximately 25 top student journalists (23 from college and 2 from high school) were selected from many of the nation’s leading student media programs to come to the nation’s capital to participate.
Partners include: Adobe, Canon, USA Today, Huffington Post, the Journalism Education Association, Ford Foundation and the Student Press Law Center.
umAMA
UMAMA is a documentary short that explores love, legacy and loss after death. The film follows the journey of my son, Isaiah, a 9-year-old South African-American boy, after my mother and grandfather pass away within months of each other. The trauma of the tragedy leads me on a quest to connect Isaiah with his paternal cultural roots and heritage despite him having never met his father or any of his South African family.
Traveling to Kwa-Zulu Natal and capital of the Zulu Kingdom from Washington, DC, UMAMA celebrates the cultural connection across continents that shape a young boy’s perspectives, passions and ultimately his purpose. This first-person narrative is complemented and contextualized by a historical familial exploration of his maternal lineage and the connection to Zulu, South African and Black American culture.
UMAMA focuses on the real-life and ongoing experiences of a son and mother as they grapple with grief in search of gratitude within the life lessons their loved ones left. Using first-person narratives, archival historical footage, animated graphics and an original score, UMAMA challenges audiences to recognize the wrenching and intimate cost of death, while also celebrating the complexities of family and faith.