Aphrochic Magazine: Issue No. 7

APHROCHIC 

a curated lifestyle magazine 

ISSUE NO. 7 \ SUMMER 2021 

FAMILY TIES \ HISTORY ON THE MENU \ A CRITICAL RACE THEORY PRIMER 

APHROCHIC.COM

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Summer is here and we are ready! After more than a year inside, we are vaccinated 

(hopefully you are, too) and ready to get some sun. We’re especially happy to 

celebrate the return of AphroChic founder and creative director Jeanine Hays to the 

editor’s desk. The road to recovery post-COVID has been long, and while we’re still 

on it, she’s getting stronger day by day. 

To celebrate, we have an issue full of color, life, and all of the things that make our Diaspora beautiful. In this 

issue, we are thrilled to sit down with one of our favorite folks in fashion, the amazing Charles Harbison. After 

a five-year hiatus and a cross-country jump from New York to Los Angeles, Charles is back with the much-anticipated 

return of his eponymous fashion line, HARBISON. We also sit down with the iconic Dyana Williams. A 

legend of the Philadelphia radio scene that we grew up on, she’s better known outside the city as the mother of 

Black Music Month. We sat down with Dyana to talk about Black music, the newly opened National Museum of 

African American Music, and the artists on her playlist that she feels are doing the most for the culture. 

In our Hot Topic, AphroChic contributor Ruby Brown takes an incisive look at Pride, all that the LGBTQIA+ 

community has accomplished, and all that’s left to do. And in response to the growing debate over Critical Race 

Theory, which in the last few months has taken over news feeds and legislative floors alike, we take a break from 

our ongoing discussion of the African Diaspora to offer a brief exploration of CRT, its origins, its concepts, and 

why it seems to have everyone so upset. 

Throw in some amazing art from THE CONSTANT NOW gallery in Antwerp, inspirational words from author 

Alexandra Elle, and the latest updates from the outdoor spaces at the AphroFarmhouse and we think this issue 

will have you ready for the summer season. So find a sunny spot, put on some Black music that you appreciate, 

and welcome to lucky issue #7! 

Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason 

Founders, AphroChic 

Instagram: @aphrochic 

editors’ letter

SUMMER 2021 

DEPARTMENTS 

Read This 10 

Watch List 12 

The Black Family Home 14 

Mood 20 

FEATURES 

Fashion // Transformation, Rebirth, and Re-Emergence 26 

Interior Design // Family Ties 40 

Culture // Lit! 52 

Food // History on the Menu 56 

Travel // The Goodtime Hotel 64 

Entertaining // Brunch with Purpose 80 

Reference // Talking Points 86 

Sounds // Celebrating Our Sound 92 

PINPOINT 

Artists & Artisans 102 

Hot Topic 106 

Who Are You? 112

CONTRIBUTORS 

Cover photo: Charles Harbison 

Photographer: Lee Morgan 

Publishers/Editors: Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason 

Creative Director: Cheminne Taylor-Smith 

Editorial/Product Contact: 

AphroChic 

AphroChic.com 

magazine@aphrochic.com 

Sales Contact: 

Ruby Brown 

ruby@aphrochic.com 

Contributors (left to right below): 

Ruby Brown 

Patrick Cline 

Chinasa Cooper 

issue seven 9

READ THIS 

The poet Gwendolyn Brooks — the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize — wrote in a poem 

dedicated to the actor Paul Robeson: “We are each other's harvest, we are each other's business, we are 

each other's magnitude and bond.” Her quote was a call to every person, to remind them that we are all 

part of a larger community, responsible for each other. Our book selections in this issue all have that 

"call to action" as their common theme — they each shine a spotlight on communities within the larger 

Diaspora. The first takes its name directly from Brooks' poem, showcasing the Black farming communities 

that were once thriving and are now being regrown by a group of young farmers. Queer Love in Color gives 

an inclusive look at what it means to love and live at the intersections of queer and POC identities. And 

AfroSurf highlights the unique surf culture of 18 coastal countries in Africa while also supporting the 

critical need for suf tourism in local economies. 

Queer Love in color 

by Jamal Jordan 

Publisher: Ten Speed Press. $23.99 

We Are Each Other's Harvest 

by Natalie Baszile 

Publisher: Amistad. $19.99 

AfroSurf 

by Mami Wata 

Publisher: Ten Speed 

Press. $32 

10 aphrochic 

Well-traveled home goods, from the rug up. 

REVIVALRUGS.COM

WATCH LIST 

Public art is perfect for summer days, and an outdoor digital exhibit in Atlanta is celebrating artists 

and the South. The South Got Something to Say, curated by Karen Comer Lowe, showcases artwork by 10 

Atlanta-based artists on four A&E Atlanta digital signs throughout downtown Atlanta. Running through 

July 31, the title of the exhibit comes from something Atlanta-based rapper Andre 3000 said at the Source 

Awards in 1995. Lowe says, “That phrase [about the South] issued a proclamation about the rising impact 

of Atlanta as a city. Since that time, the city has risen as an influential force in music, film, and politics. 

This digital exhibition is a recognition of the visual culture of Atlanta and the people who contribute 

to that culture. The works, while variant in medium, address a reckoning with the intersectional 

inequities of our being.” The featured artists include Sheila Pree Bright, Jurell Cayetano, Alfred Conteh, 

Ariel Dannielle, Shanequa Gay, Kojo Griffin, Gerald Lovell, Yanique Norman, Fahamu Pecou, and Jamele 

Wright. Interestingly, the works are mostly filled with color and joy, offering a post-pandemic form of 

celebration in the great outdoors. 

Flat Splat, Just Like That 

by Jamele Wright 

Mixed Media on a Found Canvas 

12 aphrochic 

serenaandlily.com

THE BLACK FAMILY HOME 

Navigating Outdoor Space 

As a child I loved being outdoors. I was born in the summer and it always felt like the most natural time 

to me. Feet bare, I would spend hours in the sunshine, playing, picking flowers, dreaming of the life 

I would one day have. Back then my dream house was surrounded by apple trees. It had a giant front 

porch and lots of space to stretch out in out back. Looking around today, I see that my dream has largely 

materialized (give or take some apple trees). But the road here was long and hard. I spent a lot of last year, 

and this year, extremely ill. I watched a summer of police violence turn into a winter of insurrection and 

now a not-at-all-subtle attempt to silence our voices and our votes. 

Looking at all my newfound yard 

space for the first time in the summer sun, 

I found myself wondering: Now that I had 

it, did I still want it? I started thinking a 

lot about the child that I was and the home 

that she dreamt of — how it feels; if it’s safe; 

and how my husband and I, as Black people 

in America, can navigate our very own 

outdoors. 

Moving into a 1930s farmhouse, one 

thing that grabbed us immediately was the 

front porch. If you’re from the Philadelphia 

area, you know that front porch culture is 

a very big thing. My nana and porgie used 

to sit out on their front porch all summer 

long. They would say hi to the passersby, 

greet us on the porch when we visited, 

and they also knew all of the comings and 

goings of the block, clocking everything 

that went on from their front porch vista. 

The porch at the AphroFarmhouse 

reminded me a lot of their home in the 

suburbs of Philly. I wanted to recreate 

what it felt like sitting out with them on 

warm summer nights, gathered with 

aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. I 

wanted to bring to our home that feeling 

of security. Working with our friends at 

Serena & Lily, we started on the journey 

to make our front porch more than just 

a couple of rocking chairs looking out on 

our street, but instead, a communal space 

fit for gathering together. 

We imagined the porch as a living 

area, bringing in a Moroccan-inspired 

outdoor rug, seagrass pillows and a 

Bamileke table that can withstand weather 

conditions. Creating a floor plan that 

allows guests to sit and chat around the 

table, or sit to the side and enjoy views of 

the garden, we created a space where we 

can gather with family and friends and talk 

all night, until even the fireflies go to bed. 

As we moved to designing the back 

of the home, that feeling of security 

became more and more of a factor. Those 

summers as a child, I had no cares. I was 

free and unencumbered by the world. But, 

The Black Family Home is an 

ongoing series focusing on the 

history and future of what home 

means for Black families. 

Stay tuned for the upcoming book 

from Penguin Random House. 

Words by Jeanine Hays 

Jeanine in the 

Celeste Kaftan, 

see page 23 

14 aphrochic


I’ve realized that the summer of 2020 left 

me feeling uneasy, particularly about 

going outside. While we loved seeing the 

BLM protests march by our apartment in 

Brooklyn, and we chanted and whistled 

support from our windows, a summer of 

seeing protestors be attacked by police; 

of hearing NYPD helicopters fly over our 

neighborhood for weeks; of late night firecrackers 

that sounded so close I thought 

the building would catch fire, I had become 

traumatized and outside didn’t feel so 

free anymore. I was constantly worried 

that we would do something “wrong” 

outside of the apartment and encounter 

an officer who might shoot us. I worried 

about walking down the street with my 

husband and that he might be mistaken for 

someone and be shot by the police. I was 

constantly worried that we would be the 

next victims of state-sanctioned violence. 

And that worry was also impacting how I 

thought about living in my own space. 

Reflecting on those feelings of uneasiness, 

and with the porch being a space for 

community, it felt important that the back 

of the home be designed as a place of solace 

— a place to be quiet; to rest and to heal. 

Again, we worked in partnership with 

Serena & Lily to find the right pieces to 

create that healing space. 

A cushy sectional was chosen to 

take center stage on the deck. Plump 

with pillows, it became the perfect place 

to sit and read a book at any time of day. 

Hurricane lanterns filled with citronella 

incense sticks were brought in to keep 

the bugs at bay and add a touch of indoor-style 

to the outdoor space. For the 

outdoor dining area we wanted something 

throwback and chose a 1970s-style wicker 

set. A collection of wood serving ware and 

chargers completed the aesthetic. 

Coming out of a year defined by the 

twin epidemics of COVID-19 and police 

violence, it’s been hard for me to feel completely 

safe outside. But, as we’ve worked 

on completing our outdoor space at our 

new house, I’ve realized how important it 

is to take up space, to be unafraid in doing 

so and to craft spaces that support and 

nurture us. Coming back outdoors has 

been so healing. I’m starting to feel like 

that kid again — loving the sunshine. And 

even though life may not be as carefree, I 

choose to make my own space where I can 

be free and soak up some rays. AC 

Outdoor Dining Area 

Pieces from Serena & Lily: Catalina Dining Chair $498, Pacifica Dining Table $2298, Cayman 

Glasses (set of 4) $48, Cayman Seagrass-Wrapped Pitcher $48, Kokkari Placemat $28, Salento 

Image of Jeanine and her best friend, age 4. 

Linen Napkins (set of 4) $48, Wood and Marble Serving Set $68, Rhinebeck Bowls $98, Woodbury 

Serving Board $128, Rhinebeck Serving Board $78, Millerton Footed Fruit Bowl $198 

16 aphrochic issue seven 17


Front Porch 

Pieces from Serena & Lily: Capistrano Tete-A-Tete $3298, Bamileke 

Outdoor Coffee Table $1998, Palisades Outdoor Chair $498, Whitehaven 

Rug $2298, South Seas Side Cart $498, Salerno Pillow Cover $88, Madrona 

Pillow Cover $158, Venice Rattan Chair $498, Natural Blue Woven Fan from 

Reflektion Design $30 

Back Deck 

Pieces from Serena & Lily: Sundial Outdoor Slipcovered Sectional 

$9498, Bamileke Outdoor Side Table $798, Del Mar Cotton Throw 

$168, Montecito Floor Pillow $228, Verano Tray $58, Summerland 

Lantern $178 


MOOD 

SOULFUL SUMMER 

It’s summertime and we’re embracing all that is simply 

beautiful. Easy silhouettes for lounging in. Handcrafted 

items that are perfect for alfresco entertaining. A 

restful palette of greenish-blues and lush corals that 

reflect both the water and the sun. Here are our musthave 

pieces that will help you create the most stunning 

retreat at home this season. 

KIDA Hanging Lounge 

Chair by Stephen Burks, 

inquire for pricing 

dedon.de 

Curve Mug in Rosewater $42 

tellefsenatelier.com 

Hand Dipped Beeswax Taper Candle 

Half Dozen $36 

alysiamazzella.com 

100% Linen Sheet Set in Sage $269 

linoto.com 

Natural Blue Woven Fan $35 

reflektiondesign.com 


MOOD 

Amur Wall Sconce in 

Copper $750 

perigold.com 

rayo & honey canvas 

pennants $75 

rayoandhoney.com 

Goodee Teal Pillow $149 

goodeeworld.com 

Caribe Plis Kann Wallpaper $72 

ze-haus.com 

Celeste Kaftan in Shell $225 

sanctuairelife.com 


FEATURES 

Transformation, Rebirth, and Re-Emergence | Family Ties | Lit! | 

History on the Menu | The Goodtime Hotel | Brunch with Purpose | 

Talking Points | Celebrating Our Sound

Fashion 

Transformation 

Rebirth, and 

Re-Emergence 

HARBISON is reborn 

2021 has been the story of our comeback as a society, 

our re-entry into the world, and for many, embracing 

a whole new way of being. We have gone through this 

collectively as individuals and there are even some 

brands that have also taken a breath and transitioned 

during this time. HARBISON is one of those brands. 

Interview by Jeanine Hays 

Photos by Dan Dealy and Lee Morgan 

26 aphrochic

Fashion 

Five years ago, Charles Harbison was 

everywhere. He was a favorite designer 

of Beyoncé, Solange, and Michelle. He 

had been featured by coveted fashion 

magazines and was in the spotlight 

at New York Fashion Week. And then 

suddenly, he was gone, relocated from 

New York to Los Angeles, and placing the 

brand on an indefinite hiatus. 

In late 2020 came an announcement 

on his Instagram, he would be designing 

a sustainable line for Banana Republic in 

partnership with Harlem’s Fashion Row. 

HARBISON was back on the scene and 

fashion-lovers were thrilled. Since that 

announcement, HARBISON has been 

preparing to launch an A/W21 collection, 

is expanding its capsule with Banana 

Republic, and was honored by the CFDA. 

AphroChic Magazine editor, Jeanine 

Hays, sat down with Charles to talk 

about lessons learned in absence, the 

importance of valuing ourselves, and 

honoring the “her” in us all. 

JH: Congratulations on the relaunch 

of HARBISON! Why is now the 

right time to start this new chapter? 

CH: Damn, this is a good question. I 

think now is the right time because I have 

the right perspective. It's been, what, five 

years? Which is funny, because it's longer 

than HARBISON actually existed in New 

York. But it's taken that amount of time 

for me to get my footing in a new place, to 

reconfigure my perspective into one that 

is more honoring of myself, that is more 

self-protective. And then I think there 

are some ideas that I was navigating 

in the beginning stages of HARBISON 

that needed some maturation. And then 

these years “away,” have had me working 

for brands at different levels, working 

abroad in Europe, and working across 

different product categories. So all of 

this expansion has refined my design 

perspective and I think the years away, 

reminding and refining my self-sustaining 

nature, has renewed my personal 

perspective. It's coming together in a 

way that I think aligns with a time where 

people are willing to listen to ideas that 

I was navigating back then, but in a way 

that is a bit more primed now, through 

product and through fashion. 

JH: Fashion can feel really forced a 

lot of the time. As if everyone's always 

30 aphrochic

Fashion 

32 aphrochic

Fashion 

forcing it to be cool, whether or not it actually is. But when I 

saw you start putting out the first images of the new line on 

Instagram, it felt really magical. It felt organic and very unforced. 

And a lot of it surrounded this concept of “her” that seems to be 

very much at the center of it all. So who is “her” in this collection? 

How are you defining that and how does it work as connection 

point for your audience? 

CH: The great thing about that pronoun is that, as we are 

navigating a world that is less binary, less gendered in general, 

the ideas around pronouns are just far more expansive. So there 

are a few different answers. My primary “her” is always my 

mom and those matriarchs that taught me about beauty, who 

showed me its complexity and evolution, and how to use it as a 

tool. Also, because the “her” in me is reflective of their “her,” 

the years of understanding and nurturing those places in me 

that are softer, more nurturing, and more feminine, have really 

helped round out my design perspective and my experience 

as a human in the world. And when I do that for myself, I'm 

much better at doing that for my customer base. Beyond that, 

the “hers” in my life, the women, the people, peers, I find so 

inspiring just watching them live, watching how they navigate 

oppression in such a beautiful way. Seeing them be women in 

the world, navigating misogyny and sexism, without sacrificing 

those parts of themselves that the oppression targets. And then 

the earth, which is kind of this newer priority for me. Coming 

to Cali really helped remind me of who I am as a country boy 

and loving the earth and seeing the earth as my first canvas, 

my first playground. It's wonderful to remember the earth as 

the first and primary resource that we have and prioritizing 

it. It is not just cute, it is imperative. So it's all of those “hers” 

collectively. And I think I just noticed I was habitually aligning 

myself with the feminine. So I just made it a concrete decision, 

one that’s to the benefit of every customer. 

JH: You studied architecture and textile design. How does 

that fit in to your fashion aesthetic and what you're creating now? 

CH: Studying architecture was one of the most important 

foundational things that I did. I didn't complete my degree in 

it because midway through I found that the tactile nature of 

textiles gave me a sense of joy and immediacy in the process 

of design that I adore, and the long lead of architecture was 

just something that wasn't quite right for me then. But what 

architecture represents is just my love of building things, of 

constructing things or configuring things. And that's how 

I approach fashion. It is building. I love the challenges of 

construction. I love when I have an aesthetic idea, and then 

working backward to figure out how do we actually build this 

thing? That really excites me and it shows up in my work, in 

construction but also in textile design, and everything. Textiles 

and fibers become the bricks I use to build dresses or suits or 

whatever it is. And I love all of it. That's why I comprehensively 

adore the process of fashion design. 

JH: We’ve spoken at a number of schools and met with Black 

students who were studying architecture, and they were having 

a really tough time. In many cases we found that the school was

Fashion 

telling them that there was no such thing 

as a Black architectural perspective, 

really trying to beat into them that their 

perspective was irrelevant to “real” 

architecture. What was it like for you 

studying architecture as a Black man? Was 

it also constraining? And is fashion less so? 

CH: One-hundred percent. That 

was it in a nutshell. It did feel early on 

as if architecture required some sort 

of removal of identity and personal 

aesthetic. I didn’t feel that when I began 

painting and then moving into fiber arts. 

For one of the first projects I took on 

when I transitioned from architecture 

to textile science, I was on the loom for 

17 to 20 hours a day, weaving yards of 

fabric. And when I took this fabric, and 

started creating forms on the body I felt 

I was really trying to work through my 

indigenous heritage, trying to find some 

way to connect to that age-old process 

of weaving on a loom, and applying those 

textiles to the body in ways that were 

reflective of me. So it's interesting to see 

that the freedom of those curriculums 

showed up immediately in ways that 

affirmed my cultural identity in a way 

that I never was able to remotely process 

early in architecture. 

JH: Congrats on winning Banana 

Republic’s design competition. It sounds 

really exciting. How did the collaboration 

between Banana Republic and Harlem's 

Fashion Row come together? And what 

are the goals for you in terms of this 

collaboration with them? 

CH: So I think Harlem's Fashion 

Row and Gap Inc. had been working to 

establish a greater partnership. And 

then with Banana Republic, they decided 

to hold a competition, looking for a 

designer with whom to create a capsule 

collection of sustainably-thoughtful 

pieces. And it's hilarious, because it all 

happened in such a weird way. I don't do 

competitions because I have lost a lot 

of them. And my perspective on losing 

them unfairly isn't based on ego, it’s 

based on judges coming to me, telling 

me about backroom deals and loyalties, 

people on the judging panel pulling 

rank and all kinds of stuff. So one of 

the things I decided when I decided to 

leave New York was that I would never 

compete again. But this felt different. It 

was being led by Harlem’s Fashion Row, 

and I have so much respect for Brandice, 

who has been an advocate for us for 

years. So I knew that that piece of trauma 

that I experienced for years wouldn't 

be present. And Banana Republic is an 

entity that I relate to. I worked there 

for a while in undergrad. The idea of 

attainable luxury is something that I 

adore and Banana does it in a way that 

gets into people's hands quickly. And 

sustainability was a central component. 

So I submitted my application and 

I didn't think anything else of it. I was 

happy that I had decided to do it, and for 

me, it felt like I was getting my muscle 

back, as if doing this was taking the step 

forward and HARBISON would be in 

the near future. And then I got a couple 

callbacks. And I didn't say anything 

different from what I've always said. 

And I didn't really even prepare. It was 

incredibly authentic, incredibly organic. 

And I stuck to the things that I love, and 

our approach to sustainability, which is 

not just environmental sustainability, 

but also personal sustainability, and 

cultural sustainability, and needing all 

three of those components to be present. 

And they loved it. The collection was 

supposed to be 3-5 pieces when it was 

announced in Vogue in November 2020. 

Now we're up to 20 pieces and the size 

range has expanded to go from zero 

up to 22. It is a capsule of pieces that I 

just find really, really comfortable and 

fun and desirable and thoughtful. And 

it's a really nice way to reintroduce 

myself to the industry, because it does a 

thing that I couldn't do before, which is 

make pieces more democratic and more 

accessible. I'm happy about it and the 

Banana team is great. 

JH: So on top of everything else 

you’ve just been honored by the CFDA, 

which is like the ultimate moment of 


Fashion 

recognition for a designer. How are you 

processing this moment? 

CH: For the four years that we were 

doing collections, made Fashion Week, had 

incredible celebrity endorsements and press 

articles, print, digital, everything, I had no 

relationship with that entity, which was in 

essence the mother of fashion in New York. 

Then all of a sudden all these years later, they 

just show up. And for us, we just wanted to 

know why. And when I talked to Lisa Smilor, it 

was really an amazing conversation because 

she acknowledged all of those things. And 

even after that conversation, I was honestly 

prepared to walk away. I let them know that 

if this comes with strings attached, I don't 

want it. I would rather navigate life with a 

tight budget and our agency intact rather 

than take on a grant that would force us to 

have to defer to an entity that my trust in had 

waned. But the response was that this is for 

you to spend in the way that you find most 

profitable for your business. So it feels right. 

And I'm grateful. And I'm excited. And it's 

coming at a time where we all need it. But it's 

also nice to know that we genuinely deserve 

it. And being able to say that and know that 

it's coming from a place of humility, but also 

from a place of knowing your value, which 

is central to the experience of Black people 

in every industry. It’s very, very important 

for Black creatives, because we do navigate 

systems and dynamics that are inherently 

racist. And so in order to persist, and to be 

tenacious, you have to go back to that mirror, 

you have to go back to your drawing board, 

and look at your work daily, and know that 

it is better than what they are trying to tell 

you it is. If we stay true to our crafts and the 

reasons why we do them, eventually they 

catch up. AC 

38 aphrochic

FAMILY 

TIES

Interior Design 

A Brooklyn Brownstone Where 

Family Is The Heart of the Story 

A Brooklyn brownstone with good bones, a family of seven in need of a space 

that promotes togetherness, and a blending of cultural heritages. These are 

the elements that were in the brief when we began working with our clients, 

Jodi Querbach and Kemis Lawrence, on the design of their home. The couple 

led a busy life. Jodi, an executive for one of Brooklyn’s oldest non-profits, and 

Kemis, a development chef for some of the city’s hottest new restaurants. Their 

five children, three of whom were very energetic young boys, also had a lot of 

activities as well. This was a family in need good design that offered relaxation 

and togetherness. 

Interior Design by AphroChic 

Photos by Patrick Cline 

Styling Assistant Tanika Goudeau 

Photography Assistant Chinasa Cooper 

Words by Bryan Mason and Jeanine Hays 

42 aphrochic

Interior Design


Sometimes it feels cliché to say that design matters. But 

good design has the ability to accomplish so much. It can meet 

your needs, it can help reshape your environment, and it can 

serve a purpose. For Jodi and Kemis, we wanted this space to be 

a retreat for them. Immediately calming when they walked in 

the front door, and relaxing for the kids as well. A place where 

they could gather around the TV or eat dinner as a family after 

some very long days in the city. 

We began with color. Kemis is an unabashed fan of his 

Jamaican heritage. When we first entered the home, a Jamaican 

flag was hung on the living room wall. And while we love Jamaica 

too (we got married on the cliffs in Negril), we wanted to find 

a way to bring the island home without being too literal. We 

reflected on our own time in the country, and what we loved 

most about Jamaica. One of the best moments for us was 

watching the sunsets on the island. Watching the sun go down, 

it looked as if it was falling into the ocean. Some nights there 

would be a lilac hue in the sky that was magical. We brought 

that lilac feeling in, working with a full-spectrum paint that was 

gray in the morning light, but as the sun went down in Brooklyn, 

became more lilac at night, echoing those magical sunsets. The 

effect was immediately relaxing. 

To keep with the island theme, woven pieces were brought 

in to the home. Beneath the dining table, that now could easily 

seat the whole family for dinner, a seagrass rug was brought 

in. On the built-in bookshelves, woven baskets were placed as 

storage for each boy’s toys and accessories. Among the mix of 

island-inspired pieces, we brought in a collection of artisan 

pottery and metallic sculptures, a nod to Jodi’s love of contemporary 

farmhouse style. 

We had also met our objective. The living room could 

easily seat 6-8 people, with a new sectional sofa and leather 

swan chairs that the kids immediately loved. We designed a new 

fireplace surround with our contractor, Will Johnson, and it 

became the perfect entertaining unit for when the boys want to 

watch TV or play video games. 

No home is complete without art, and we brought two 

special pieces into the space. A limited edition print from 

Tappan Collective, Palm Shadow 2 by David Kitz, was a nod to 

Jamaica. And in the dining room, we worked with the Jenn 

Singer Gallery to secure Gold #2 by local artist, Valincy-Jean 

Patelli. Valincy lived just around the corner, and was able to 

bring the piece over and meet the family. A thrill for everyone! 

Good design matters. It can bring a family joy. It can 

promote togetherness. It can help a family tell their story. As 

one of the kids said when he stepped into the finished project, 

“this is paradise on world tour!” We are thrilled we could create 

a paradise that they can enjoy for years to come. AC 

46 aphrochic


48 aphrochic


“Good design matters. It 

can bring a family joy. It can 

promote togetherness. It can 

help a family tell their story.” 

50 aphrochic

Culture 

Lit! 

An Excerpt from After The Rain: Gentle 

Reminders for Healing, Courage and Self-Love 

by Alexandra Elle 

In her latest book, After The Rain, author and poet, Alexandra Elle takes us on a 

journey. It is all at once her journey and ours, as Alexandra shares her personal 

stories of love, loss, acceptance, and healing, delivering lessons that can help you 

move from self-doubt to self-love. The book, divided into 15 life lessons on change, 

identity, learning to breathe, soothing suffering and so much more, is filled with 

meditations that you’ll find yourself coming back to again and again as you chart 

your own path to self-discovery and self-care. After The Rain also has a beautiful 

companion piece, the In Courage Journal, that offers daily practice in self-care. 

Photos by Erika Layne 

52 aphrochic

Culture 

Loving yourself isn’t always 

a beautiful process. 

It’s hard. 

It can break you open. 

It can wear you down. 

Self-love is birthed in the 

trenches of our darkest moments — 

that’s why the light feels so good 

when we finally find it. 

Learn more about Alexandra’s work, her upcoming workshops and books at alexelle.com 


Food 

History on 

the Menu 

The Magnolia House Serves Up 

the Past to Preserve Its Future 

On Feb. 1, 1960, four students from North Carolina 

Agricultural and Technical State University 

sat down at a Woolworths' “whites only” lunch 

counter and began a movement that spread 

around the country. That one history-changing 

act also put Greensboro, N.C., on the map. 

But for decades before that sit-in, Greensboro 

was already “on the map” for many Black artists, 

entertainers, and families who consulted the 

iconic Green Book for a safe harbor for the night. 

Words by Cheminne Taylor-Smith 

Photos from Magnolia House 

56 aphrochic

Food 

Built in 1889 and listed in 

the National Register of Historic 

Places, the Historic Magolia 

House was originally a family 

home in the South Greensboro 

Historic District. Around WWII, 

the Gist family purchased the 

home and opened it in 1949 as an 

inn for Black travelers who were 

not allowed to stay in other segregated 

hotels and motels. 

The Historic Magnolia 

House was listed in the famous 

Green Book, named for founder 

Victor Hugo Green. The Green 

Book listed establishments 

across the country that were safe 

for African Americans to sleep 

and to eat as they traveled. 

Magnolia House was 

included in the Green Book as 

late as 1968, and played host 

to famous guests like James 

Baldwin, Carter G. Woodson, 

Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson, 

Ray Charles, Duke Ellington's 

Band, Ike and Tina Turner, and 

Louis Armstrong. It is one of 

only six Green Book inns still in 

operation in North Carolina. 

After the '70s, the house fell 

into disrepair and in 1995 Samuel 

Pass bought the house from the 

Gist family with a plan to restore 

it and create a museum to honor 

its past. His daughter Natalie 

Pass Miller is now the owner and 

manager of the historic property. 

And to fund that restoration, 

Natalie Pass Miller has 

created another way to use 

history to create a future for The 

Magnolia House with a Shoebox 

Lunch. 

"With the Pandemic, much 

like other museums and organizations, 

we had to close our doors 

to the community. The Magnolia 

Shoebox Lunch was created as a 

way to bring Black history and 

education to the community's 

doorstep," she says. 

"Everything we do is intentional 

to replicate the Green Book 

and history of the Negro Traveler. 

All of the services we offer are 

that of what the Gist family 

offered during the '50s and '60s. 

The Shoebox Lunch was a critical 

survival tool of Negro Travelers 

during Jim Crow that provided 

a meal in the event there was no 

Green Book stop on their route. 

With that being an important part 

of history, we created the box 

and programming to honor the 

tradition, provide education, and 

a tool that fosters dialogue within 

our community," she explains. 

The Shoebox Lunch is in 

an actual shoebox that's been 

adapted to deliver delicious food. 

Popular items inside the box 

include Fried Chicken, Bombay 

Toast, and Fish N Grits, as well 

as a classic Shoebox pound cake 

slice. 

But Pass Miller says she also 

serves up a side of history. "We 

deem Magnolia's Shoebox Lunch 

as 'history in a box,' because we 

provide Black history education 

on the box as a way to support and 

foster family and school dialogue, 

while at the lunch table." 

In addition, the Magnolia 

House is offering brunches 

during the week. "Music and the 

Arts are an important part of 

our programming as it is part of 

rich history within the walls of 

Magnolia and the historical guest 

list," Pass Miller says. "When 

guests such as Louis Armstrong 

would stay with us for three 

weeks at a time, of course Mama 

Gist would provide meals for 

them. In honor of that we offer a 

Smooth Jazz Brunch." 

The House also operates as 

a museum with both permanent 

and temporary exhibits, as well 

as meeting spaces and other programming. 

The focus of both food-centric 

programs and business programming 

is to raise funds to 

help in The Historic Magnolia 

House's transformation. The 

goal is to create a boutique hotel 

that is a "100% replica of the 1949 

Green Book Hotel both structurally 

and operationally," Pass 

Miller says. 

To learn more about its 

history, or to make a donation, go to 

thehistoricmagnoliahouse.org. 


Food 

Cooking to Connect to Memories 

Natalie Pass Miller's Aunt Linda has been a staple to Magnolia's Black 

culinary experience. Known to the rest of the world as Linda Aamal Kite, she is a 

chef, food scientist, and seasonal fruit specialist. Here is her take on why food is 

so critical to the African American story, why you should never trust 15-minute 

collards, and three recipes she swears by. 

“Food has always been celebratory for Black people because we didn’t 

have a whole lot to celebrate. But we found a way. There’s this whole back story 

before it gets to the plate. A lot of these foods were considered trash. What we 

had to do is make do with what we could find and put together. 

"For example, collards are very nutritious and very filling. But you have to 

be very patient with them because it takes a long time to cook. My mother would 

say that we eat collards after the first frost. And I would say: 'Mama, why is that?' 

And she said, 'Well, they’re more tender.' 

"Well, lo and behold, the collard plants produce a natural enzyme when 

it’s cold and, consequently, it’s a natural tenderizer! You can’t overcook a 

collard green. So how do you know it’s ready? When it’s really tender and it 

almost melts in your mouth, that’s when you know it’s ready. 

“Anytime that someone tries to convince you that you can cook collard 

greens in 15 minutes….run. It takes time and a lot of patience. 

"In the end, cooking anything brings me closer to my family, because with 

these hands (her hands)...my mama is still here. So it’s a spiritual experience for 

me. I’m standing on my grandmother’s shoulders. I’m standing on my mama’s 

shoulders. 

"When you think about where we’ve come from…but we still have a long 

way to go. The difficulties that we’ve had as a people, somehow we could always 

use food as a distraction. No matter how hard things were, you come together 

around a plate of food that has been soulfully and lovingly prepared for you, it 

would make everything ok. No matter what.” 

Natalie Pass Miller on the front porch of The Historic Magnolia House in Greensboro, N.C. 

Hoppin’ John 

Cook 3 slices of bacon (traditional, beef, or 

turkey) until crispy and drain on paper towel. 

Sauté onion with chopped red and green 

peppers. Then add 2 cans of black eyed peas 

and heat thoroughly. Stir in about 2 cups of 

rice and crumbled bacon. 

Garnish with the tops of green onions for 

serving. 

Sweet Potatoes 

Bake sweet potatoes in a 400-degree preheated 

oven for approximately 45 minutes, depending 

on size. Sweet potatoes should be thoroughly 

washed, dried, and oiled prior to baking. 

Once cooked, slice sweet potatoes diagonally 

and set aside. 

For the sauce, heat 1 cup orange juice. Once 

heated, add ½ cup light or dark brown sugar 

mixing with butter or preferred fat, (i.e., olive or 

coconut oil). Stir in cinnamon, vanilla, and rum 

extract at the end. Heat until just boiling, simmer 

to reduce a little bit. 

Toss sweet potatoes in sauce and coat thoroughly. 

Collard Greens 

Stem collards. Stack, roll, and cut collards to your 

liking. Wash collards 6-8 times, or until water 

runs clear (to rinse off any grit). 

In a stock pot add oil, enough to cover the 

bottom of the pot. Sauté some onions until translucent. 

Add chopped garlic and sauté. 

Add collards, stirring down until all the greens 

are added to the pot. You will see liquid from the 

greens as they reduce in the pot. This is when 

you add whatever stock of choice or water, just 

enough to cover the greens about 2 inches, along 

with your seasonings. 

Be patient as collards take quite a while to cook. 

Depending on the amount of greens, start with 

45 minutes to an hour over medium-high heat. 

Cooking time should be adjusted for gas. Gas 

cooks quicker! 


The Goodtime Hotel

Travel 

A Feel-Good 

Destination in Miami 

Pharrell Williams and Partner David Grutman 

Open A Pastel Paradise in South Beach 

It’s no question that pink is a smile-inducing color, and Miami’s 

new The Goodtime Hotel will have you smiling from the moment 

you enter. Everything from the blushing pink-and-peach Library, 

where you can enjoy coffee, cocktails and casual meet-and-greets, 

to the private cabanas that extend the color palette, have been 

designed with happy pursuits and relaxed escapism in mind. 

Words by Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason 

Images from The Goodtime Hotel 

66 aphrochic

Travel

Travel

Travel 

From the moment you step into this tropical oasis that blends 

mid-century Caribbean style, with Miami’s Art Deco past and today’s 

modern pastel palette, you are ready to relax and enjoy. 

“We want The Goodtime Hotel to impart a feeling of both revitalization 

and that rare, exciting thrill that takes over when you discover 

something special,” says Williams of his new hotspot that just opened 

this spring in South Beach. Overlooking Biscayne Bay on one side and 

the Atlantic Ocean on the other, it’s the kind of place built with Instagram-worthy 

views in mind, and a host of cool furnishings that 

will help you capture that perfect shot. “It’s that adrenaline-fueled 

sensation of entering a whole new setting and a whole new mindset. 

This place will provide a natural good time, for all who come through.” 

Williams, who has always known how to bring his audience joy 

through songs like Happy and his books Places and Spaces I’ve Been 

and A Fish Doesn’t Know When It’s Wet, has worked in partnership with 

Grutman to bring sunshine-seekers into a beautifully curated oasis 

where everyone can experience a good time. You can enjoy beautiful 

appointed rooms where the bathrooms feature that oh-so-trendy 

pink brick tile, cozy upholstered beds and cool leopard print benches. 

And when venturing further into the hotel, experience cocktails at the 

stylish pool bar or just hang in the lobby that looks like the living room 

of many of our dreams. 

With so much fun to be hand inside the hotel, decorated by the 

iconic Ken Fulk, you can’t forget that you’re also in Miami, where everywhere 

you venture there’s something fun to experience. Enjoy the 

nightlife, or take in an artistic tour of the Wynwood Walls to complete 

your trip to Florida’s newest destination. AC 

You can book your stay at thegoodtimehotel.com. 

72 aphrochic

Travel

Travel 


Travel 

78 aphrochic

Entertaining 

Brunch With 

Purpose 

Estelle Colored Glass Hosts A Stunning Fête To 

Support Local Food Purveyors in Charleston 

Stephanie Summerson Hall is the founder of Estelle Colored Glass, a luxury 

brand of colored glassware that’s handmade by artisans in Poland. Jewel-tone 

stemware, decanters and cake stands are all part of Stephanie’s collection 

that has a cult following. Oprah, Hoda and Martha are fans. 

To celebrate the launch of her new line of mint green martini glasses, 

Stephanie had an idea. She would host a casual brunch showcasing her new 

collection, and would include local bakeries and restaurants. “I like living in 

a community that is unique and so much of that uniqueness comes from the 

local restaurant and food purveyors in the community.” 


Photos from Estelle Colored Glass 

80 aphrochic

Entertaining 

The timing of such an event could not have been more perfect, 

as restaurants around the country are beginning to reopen, but 

are struggling with business due to the slow-down caused by the 

pandemic. A casual brunch was arranged at the Dewberry Hotel in 

Charleston, South Carolina. Glassware, cake stands and decanters 

from Estelle were used to create a fresh green and yellow color 

palette. Foods from the local community complemented the theme. 

“The pastries and croissants came from my neighborhood 

bakery, the Rustic Muffin,” Stephanie explains. “The pound cake was 

made by my neighbor three doors down. I love supporting her homebased 

bakery, Sunny Park Cakes. The dozen assortment of handmade 

biscuits came from Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit which has an eatery on 

King Street in Charleston and happened to be around the corner 

from our brunch location at the Dewberry Hotel. And expertly crafted 

offerings from Red Hot Clay Sauce - another Charleston-based 

brand - were added to our condiments table.” 

The launch of a new collection became the celebration of 

local community. What could be more beautiful? “I support [local 

purveyors] every time I get a chance and encourage you to do likewise 

in your own communities. These businesses thrive with our dollars 

and we need the authentic feel and goodness they add to our quality 

of life.” AC 

84 aphrochic

Reference 

Talking Points 

A Critical Race Theory Primer 

When it comes to starting a fire in this country, it seems 

all it takes is three words. If the words acknowledge the 

existence of white supremacy, the oppression of Black 

people, or propose meaningful steps towards a world in 

Photo by “cottonbro” from Pexels 

which neither exist, the reaction is immediate, visceral and 

widespread. In the last few years, words like Black Lives 

Matter, I Can’t Breathe, or Know Your Rights, have been at 

the center of firestorms of white outrage that have erupted 

from every right-wing outlet, spilling from the mouths of 

every conservative pundit to be repeated ad nauseam, often 

becoming larger and less accurate with every telling. The 

most recent triptych of words to be used by conservative 

media and lawmakers to stoke the ire of their constituencies 

is Critical Race Theory, or CRT. 

Words by Bryan Mason 

Chances are you’ve seen it in the news 

recently as nearly a dozen states have either 

passed laws banning its teaching or are poised 

to do so. As the controversy rages on and the 

conversation becomes more about education, 

history, and the danger of harming white children’s 

sense of self-worth with an accurate recounting 

of American history, it’s becoming 

clear that there are many on both sides who 

aren’t entirely clear on what CRT is, where it 

comes from, or what it’s trying to do. So here is 

a very brief primer on Critical Race Theory and 

resources to help you be better informed. 

What Is Critical Race Theory? 

One of the main problems surrounding 

the current conversation on CRT is that 

many people seem to have it confused with a 

number of other things that it is not. Contrary to 

recent popular belief, CRT is not an approach to 

teaching, a version of history, or the 1619 project. 

It’s not a form of inclusivity, diversity, or sensitivity 

training. It’s not even a singular theory, 

as numerous scholars, authors, and academics 

have contributed to its development with 

varying points of emphasis. 

Though it has since spread to a number 

of other fields of study, CRT was originally a 

series of legal critiques viewing the American 

system of laws as the means by which racist 

power structures are codified, normalized, and 

enforced. It refutes the idea of colorblind laws, 

demonstrating that even laws ostensibly written 

to be race-neutral, such as sentencing laws 

for drug possession, can be applied in racially 

biased ways, resulting in disproportionate punishment 

for people of color and the reification of 

predetermined racial stereotypes. 

In this, CRT borrows from the older 

Critical Legal Studies, which is one of its main 

influences. This school of thought, which also 

focuses on the law as the codification of social 

biases, holds that the law and its applications 

are determined as much or more by political 

or ideological positions as they are by logic and 

legal reasoning. While this may seem obvious, 

for decades prevailing legal doctrine held that 

law and logic were the only pertinent factors in 

legal decision making. 

In arguing that American laws and the 

mechanisms through which those laws are 

enforced (e.g. police, courts, prisons) are 

primary support structures of systematic 

racism, CRT views the structures themselves as 

being inherently racist and in need of reform. 

At the same time, it advocates for the rule of law 

and acknowledges the great role that judicial 

and legislative progress has played in improving 

the lives of people of color. Yet it eschews Liberalism 

as a wholesale answer to the problems 

that it outlines, highlighting the frequency and 

facility with which liberal agendas co-opt or 

slow progressive racial movements, either redirecting 

their efforts for the benefit of white 

interests or allowing opportunities for conservative 

challenges and backsliding. 

The specific arguments and proofs offered 

within the confines of Critical Race Theory are 

far too numerous to list here. However some of 


Reference 

Photo by Darlene Alderson from Pexels 

its basic principles are: 

1. That racism is not a biological fact but a 

socially constructed set of categories designed 

to codify a specific set of power relationships. 

Therefore race is not real, but racism is. 

2. That racism is normal in American 

society. It is not an aberration, the exception to 

the rule or restricted to the thoughts and actions 

of a marginalized few. It is the daily lived experience 

of most, if not all, people of color in this 

country. 

3. The establishment and protection 

of racist power differentials is encoded into 

American society, enforced by its laws and 

expressed in its public policy. These structures 

normalize the habitually racist perspectives and 

processes of the country making them invisible 

or at least deniable. 

4. The process of legislative racial progress 

and regression in America — such as affirmative 

action or legalizing marijuana — is often manipulated 

to serve white interests. Simultaneously, 

actions designed to benefit whites are often 

branded as progress for people of color. 

5. Accurate and adequate representation 

is crucial. The same mechanisms of control 

which are used to ascribe negative stereotypes 

to people of color are used to deny our ability to 

speak accurately and meaningfully to our own 

experiences of racism in legal, political, and 

social settings. 

6. That humanity is intersectional and no 

one person can be fully described by their membership 

in a single group. Every person has a 

race, gender identity, ethnicity, sexual preference, 

etc., and their experience of society will 

be determined largely by the groups that they 

belong to. 

Where Did It Come From? 

Even though a lot of the controversy and 

anger around CRT seems very new, the idea 

itself started back in the 1970s and has roots 

that go back even further. Initially CRT grew 

in the aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement 

as scholars of color sought to understand why 

the gains of the movement were not resulting 

in the level of change they had anticipated and 

why many of those gains seemed under constant 

threat of being rolled back. Continued disparities 

in education following the Brown v. Board 

of Education case were of particular interest to 

Derrick A. Bell Jr., a legal scholar and the first 

tenured African American professor at Harvard 

Law School. Professor Bell’s analysis of postcivil-rights 

era America laid much of the foundation 

for what would become CRT. Equally 

impactful was his career which saw him lead 

several protests in response to student demands 

for more diverse faculty and leave several 

notable posts in protest over refusals to hire or 

promote qualified women of color as professors. 

In 1981, the year after Bell resigned his 

position at Harvard for the second time, then 

incoming student, now noted scholar, Kimberlé 

Crenshaw, organized with other students 

to arrange for 12 scholars to hold talks at the 

school around Bell’s work, “Race, Racism, and 

American Law.” In 1989, Crenshaw held the first 

workshop on the topic, calling it "New Developments 

in Critical Race Theory,” and is therefore 

credited with giving the discipline its name. 

Further, she is the architect and first 

positor of intersectionality, now an extremely 

widespread and influential concept. Since then, 

the field has both grown and diversified with 

additional scholars not only adding to the canon 

of what could now be termed core CRT, while 

others have created group specific interpretations 

including LatCrit (Latino-critical) and 

TribCrit (Tribal Critical) along with Queer-critical 

and Asian-critical approaches. Other 

highly notable founders of CRT include Richard 

Delgado, who was one of the scholars invited by 

Kimberlé Crenshaw to speak at Harvard, Mari 

Matsuda, a highly influential legal scholar and 

the first Asian American female law professor 

to gain tenure in the United States, and Patricia 

J. Williams, a noted scholar and professor 

who writes the column “Diary of a Mad Law 

Professor” for the Nation. 

Why They Scared? 

At its core, CRT is simply the realization 

that American laws and legal structures 

are deeply impacted by race in ways that shape 

every aspect of American life while obscuring 

the presence and effect of race as a determining 

factor. For anyone familiar with American 

history, the formation of early laws to enforce 

the rule of slavery, the crucial impact discussions 

over slavery had on the writing and ratification 

of the constitution, and the importance 

of equality movements at every stage in 

this nation’s development from abolition to 

suffrage to LGBTQIA+ rights and BLM, this is 

not an earth-shaking revelation. So why are 

there those who find it so terrifying that they 

are currently doing so much to criminalize even 

the discussion of what is in fact just a set of legal 

theories? 

This is a very good question, and one that 

is unfortunately beyond the scope of this article 

to answer. Better answers than any we might 

provide here are expectedly to be found in any 

Photo by Darina Belonogova from Pexels 


Reference 

of the books on CRT this article lists. We might 

also suggest the works of Patricia Hill Collins, 

Robert L. Allen, and any number of other Black 

sociologists who have dedicated themselves to 

this question. It’s a difficult question to answer 

because it’s both subjective and suppositional. 

As Black people we can’t truly know what 

motivates those who work tirelessly to ensure 

that we remain marginalized and disadvantaged 

in this society. 

What we do know is this: they are scared. 

Because after 2020 and a whole year of marches 

and BLM protests, people are listening and 

there’s a real opportunity for things to change. 

This fear is evident in any number of very visible 

ways. First, and most obvious is the whole idea 

of attempting to illegalize CRT in the first place. 

Using America’s laws to criminalize the conversation 

on how America uses its laws to criminalize 

Black people is the perfect example of the 

exact problem that CRT was created to address. 

Then there is the haphazard way in which CRT 

is being posited as a threat. As mentioned at the 

beginning of this piece, most of what’s being 

called CRT in conservative attacks against 

it, is not. Suddenly finding itself used as a 

euphemism for diversity, inclusivity training, 

gender sensitivity and inclusive history and 

pedagogy, CRT has seemingly become the repository 

for all of their fears, making it at once 

a bigger target and a way to kill many birds 

with one law. As usual, there is method to this 

madness. For a base driven by slogans and 

sound bites rather than facts, CRT is the perfect 

scary-sounding three-word antagonist to use 

to create exactly the groundswell of fear and 

loathing that has been seen and used to push 

through a series of vaguely worded, constitutionally-questionable 

laws. 

What’s At Stake? 

Still, however sloppy these moves on the 

part of conservatives might appear, they are incredibly 

calculated and extremely dangerous. 

You might find it ridiculous that these attempts 

at censorship are coming from the same people 

who have openly argued that hate speech is 

free speech, but it’s no more hypocritical than 

a cadre of slave owners listing liberty and the 

pursuit of happiness among humanity’s inalienable 

rights. And they never batted an eye. Just 

because a law should be challenged and struck 

down on constitutional grounds doesn’t mean 

that it will be. And vaguely worded laws can 

be used to enforce restrictions against a wide 

number of things not specifically outlined in the 

law itself. As the Atlantic’s Adam Harris reports, 

“The New Hampshire House of Representatives, 

introduced a bill that would bar schools [and] 

organizations that have entered into a contract 

or subcontract with the state from endorsing 

“divisive concepts,” [such as] “race or sex scapegoating,” 

questioning the value of meritocracy, 

and suggesting that New Hampshire — or 

the United States — is “fundamentally racist.” 

Citing the “fuzzy” language of other such bills, 

Harris cautions that these laws, while open to 

constitutional challenge as violations of the 

first amendment, will likely be used to censure a 

wide range of progressive educational and professional 

conversations on intersectionality, 

structural racism and diversity. 

What’s at stake here then, is ultimately 

our legal ability to openly take this society to 

task over issues of marginalization and disenfranchisement 

on the basis of race, gender, 

religion or any number of other grounds. What it 

requires of us is that we educate ourselves and, 

where possible, others; that we make ourselves 

heard through our votes and by using every 

platform at our disposal to make it clear that we 

will not be silent, complacent or placated; that 

we resist any and all attempts to steal from us 

the joy of legitimate victories like Juneteenth 

and Black Music Month which were not given 

to us but fought for and won; and that we keep 

the perspective that an honest and inclusive 

view of American history gives us: that we have 

never been what they say we are or been what 

they wanted us to be, that we have never given 

an inch in this fight and we see no reason to start 

now. AC 

A Critical Race Theory Book List 

Where is Your Body?, 

Mari J. Matsuda 

Words That Wound: Critical Race 

Theory, Assaultive Speech, And 

The First Amendment, Mari J. 

Matsuda, Kimberlé Crenshaw, 

Richard Delgado, Charles R. 

Lawrence III 

The Derrick Bell Reader, Richard 

Delgado & Jean Stephancic 

Faces at the Bottom of the Well, 

Derrick Bell 

Critical Race Theory: The 

Key Writings That Formed 

the Movement, Kimberlé 

Crenshaw, Neil Gotanda, Gary 

Peller, Kendall Thomas 

Critical Race Theory (Third 

Edition): An Introduction, 

Richard Delgado, Jean 

Stephancic & Angela Harris 


Sounds 

Celebrating 

Our Sound 

Music Icon Dyana Williams and the Importance 

of Recognizing the History of Black Music 

Dyana Williams is a Philly music legend. Actually, she’s a music 

legend everywhere, but if you’re from Philly (and we are), you not 

only know the name, you know the vibes. Arriving in Philadelphia 

after deejaying in her native New York and Washington D.C., 

where she was known for a time as “Ebony Moonbeams,” Williams 

established the popular radio show “Love on the Menu” for radio 

station WDAS and later Soulful Sundays for Classix 107.9. The latter 

show lasting for 12 years before signing off for the last time in 2020. 

Interview by Bryan Mason and Jeanine Hays 

Vintage photos from Dyana Williams 

Photos of Dyana Williams by Caliph Gamble 

92 aphrochic

Sounds 

Even with her luminous on-air career, 

Dyana’s contributions behind the scenes have 

been even more impactful. Formerly married 

to music producer Kenny Gamble (Gamble & 

Huff), Williams has long been associated with 

the “Sound of Philadelphia” (Patti LaBelle, 

McFadden & Whitehead, Teddy Pendergrass, 

etc.) and has produced documentaries, founded 

and led organizations, and mentored countless 

emerging artists, a passion that she continues to 

pursue. 

But perhaps her most lasting gift to us is 

her role in the founding of Black Music Month. 

Its initial recognition in 1979 was the beginning 

of a process that Dyana would shepherd until 

it was written into law by congress and proclaimed 

first by President Bill Clinton in 2000 

and again by President Barack Obama in 2009 

and 2016. 

We were delighted to sit down with this 

icon of Philadelphia radio and tireless advocate 

for Black music culture to talk about the creation 

of Black Music Month, why it still matters, and in 

light of all that our community has endured in 

the past year, who she feels is making the music 

we need to keep us going right now. 

America just celebrated it’s 42nd Black 

Music Month this past June! We’re so excited to 

speak with you about the history of Black Music 

Month and how it came together because it’s 

such an amazing story and so important for us 

today. To start with, tell us about the Black Music 

Association. How did the organization come 

together and what was its purpose? 

DW: The Black Music Association 

was created by Kenny Gamble after a visit 

to Nashville Music City, which is known as 

a country music capital. And he felt that 

something could be done similarly in terms 

of organizing members of the music industry 

community to come together to show, not only 

our cultural contributions to America's indigenous 

music, but the economic impact of African 

American music throughout the world. And so 

the Black Music Association was established. It 

was a wonderful aggregation of radio personalities, 

artists, everybody from Stevie Wonder, 

Bob Marley, Dionne Warwick, Teddy Pendergrass, 

all of the artists of the day as well as the 

songwriters, producers, retailers, educators…It 

was just a wonderful entity of people who were 

like-minded and coming out of the creative 

culture of producing Black music. 

So that was the birth of the Black Music 

Association in 1978. Credit to Kenny Gamble, 

and a group of other people. I was a member. 

We were a couple at that time. We have three 

children and a six-and-a-half-year-old 

grandson now, but we, much like the two of 

you working together, Gamble and I did the 

same thing because we were committed to 

letting the world know that Black music isn't 

just to feel-good. It permeates every aspect 

of our culture — language, fashion dance… 

Black music is the flavor of the planet, not to 

discount other genres of music. But that was 

the beginning. And Gamble and I were proud 

parents. It was the birth of hours of discussion, 

of dreaming, planning and wanting to see a 

coalition of togetherness and unity in the Black 

music industry. And for a period, it was a very 

powerful entity that did a lot with the Black 

music and various record companies and in 

communities around the United States. 

AC: When was the first recognition of 

Black Music Month, and what was it like? 

DW: On June 7, 1979, President Jimmy 

Carter, at the request of the Black Music Association, 

hosted a grand picnic on the South Lawn 

of the White House, with performances by Billy 

Eckstine, Chuck Berry, Evelyn Champagne 

King, and others. Clarence Avant, known as The 

Godfather in the music industry, was very instrumental 

in getting us into the White House. 

He was very politically connected and made the 

initial call. Obviously, they were receptive, they 

held a reception on the grounds of the South 

Lawn for over 200 people and invited members 

of the Black Music Association to attend. I had 

the honor of sitting with the President and 

Mrs. Carter. And as we know, President Carter 

grew up in the South, and he loved Black music. 

Initially he was sitting at the picnic table with 

us. Then he went and sat on the ground with his 

wife and daughter. But before the performance 

ended, he was sitting on the stage, clapping his 

hands and nodding his head. Then he stood up, 

and he was clapping and getting in the spirit 

of the gospel music. It was a great event. It was 

warm, down to earth, and very much in the 

style of President Jimmy Carter. If you go to my 

Twitter timeline, I’ve posted the only existing 

footage from that day. And I'm working with an 

editor to form it into a short film of that day and 

the origins of Black Music Month. 

AC: A lot of people know that you were 

instrumental in the creation of Black Music 

Month, but may not know that “instrumental” 

went as far as you going door-to-door, lobbying 

members of Congress, or that you wrote the 

original draft of the bill that passed in 2000. 

What compelled you to stay the course from 

1979 to 2000, because it must have been an unimaginable 

amount of work? 

DW: Very good question. And very true. 

I started a non-membership organization 

called the International Association of African 

American Music at the advice of some of the 

leaders of the Black Music Association. We 

produced music conferences for 16 consecutive 

years. And at one point, we decided to go 

to Washington D.C. and hold our annual June 

Black Music Month celebration there. I wrote 

President Clinton in the White House asking 

them to host a similar reception as Jimmy and 

Rosalynn Carter had in 1979. So the White House 

comes back to me and says, “Well, we see where 

President Carter did say June is Black Music 

Month. But he didn't sign a presidential proclamation.” 

So the White House told me get some 

legislation passed. They said, “Come back to us 

with that and we'll set up a meeting with you 

and the President in the Oval Office.” I was like, 

“Wow, really? 

Yeah, I grew up in the Bronx, in Harlem. 

What do I know about lobbying?” I didn’t know 

anything. But I knew a lot about being passionate 

about our culture and Black folks and our 

music. So my little passionate, letter writing 

self reached out to local congressman Chaka 

Fattah; I reached out to Republican senator 

Arlen Specter; and I had meetings with them. 

And I told them, “I need you to write a letter on 

my behalf for Black music to be recognized by 

Dyana Williams on the White 

House Lawn with President 

Jimmy Carter and First Lady 

Rosalynn Carter. 

Nelson George, Al B. Sure, 

Dyana Williams, and 

Marcus Miller 


Sounds 

Dyana Williams with Patti 

LaBelle and Teddy Pendergrass 

Dyana Williams in the 

White House Oval Office 

the president and in Congress.” And so it took several years of 

me, literally going door-to-door, not even making appointments, 

just walking into people's offices. I didn't know anything about 

the process of lobbying. All I knew was that I needed to garner 

support. So congressman Chaka Fattah, the democratic congressman 

in Philadelphia at that time, was super helpful. And he 

is the person who introduced the actual draft that I had written 

and submitted to his people. 

The legislation essentially identified that Black music is 

America's own, created here, primarily by Black folks, and that it 

was a multibillion dollar business. And that is what is important 

to me and to us, in the Black music community, to have it recognized 

that, yeah, you tap your toes, and dance and clap and 

snap your fingers to our music, but at the end of the day, this is 

something created out of the anguish, the suffering, and the joy 

and love that Black people experience. It is the cries of the field 

hollers. It's the gospel music in the churches where we congregated 

together to celebrate God and pray for deliverance from 

the oppression of enslavement. It's Muddy Waters, it's BB King. 

And it's all of the great artists who are, were and are expressing 

—Frankie Beverly and Maze say it so well — the joy and pain of 

being Black in America. And it continues to this day. So in 2000, 

I get a phone call, saying the congressman is introducing the 

legislation and then a few hours later, they called and said that 

it had passed unanimously in the House. And at that point, the 

White House called and invited me to a private meeting in the 

Oval Office with Bill Clinton. And I actually had two meetings in 

the Oval Office with the President. And from that point on every 

American president has acknowledged it as well. 

AC: So what can people do to keep the legacy of Black Music 

Month alive? 

DW: People — and I want to go on the record: this is not just 

for Black people — can do a lot. People can sit with their elders 

and their family and talk to them about the music they grew up 

listening to. They can read books. My grandson's coming over 

tomorrow to spend the weekend. I have a whole library of books 

for him — many of them about Black people, and he’s six-and-ahalf. 

Buy the music of the Black artists that you love and support. 

Streaming is now the way many young people are consuming 

their music. Go to any of the the streaming services and listen to 

the music because that is revenue for the songwriters and artists. 

Now with COVID dying down and people getting vaccinated, live 

concerts are coming back, go — safely — to a live show, support 

the writers, musicians, producers, and people that create this 

music. So there are many ways that one can engage. Write your 

child's teacher and say, “You know, it’s Black Music Month. What 

can we do to engage around that?” [Black Music Month] is an opportunity 

for us during the days in the month of June to celebrate 

the contributions of past generations. The foundation mothers 

and fathers of Black music as well as celebrating this generation 

of artists, and music-makers and creatives that are still doing it 

with great success. 

AC: There's been so much coming out in movies and documentaries 

about Black music. We have documentaries on Nina 

Simone and Sam Cooke, movies on Billie Holliday, Aretha Franklin 

and Mahalia Jackson, etc. We've seen so much about iconic Black 

musicians and the price that they paid for their honesty. Do you 

see that same bravery, the willingness to tell the truth for the sake 

of the people, in today's artists? And who if anyone stands out to 

you for the statements that they're making with their music right 

now? 

DW: Those are all courageous artists. Back in the day, 

there was Harry Belafonte. I mean, the list is long of creatives 

and artists who used their platform. Even Sammy Davis, who 

was later criticized for his support of Richard Nixon, he was 

very active before he made those statements. You do have a 

group of people, of artists, who are vocal about consciousness 

and our community solidarity. The first one who comes to 

mind is Beyoncé. She is Blackity Black, Black. You saw her performance 

at the Super Bowl when she came out with the Black 

Panther outfit. Beyoncé has used her platform as has her sister 

Solange, singing, “Don't Touch My Hair,” and so on. They clearly 

indicate the racism and the divide in our American society. Jay 

Cole, Nas — the list is long of artists who are conscious, who use 

their platforms as highly visible and audible individuals to bring 

messages of struggle, perseverance, and love. 

ACM: Since the founding of the Black Music Association 

and then Black Music Month, is there anything you think our 


Sounds 

music has lost or gained? What message would you like to give to 

those who are coming up in music now about why their work is 

important to the community? 

DW: Black music is a constantly evolving energy entity. 

First, because Black people are not monolithic. There are some 

people who are critical of Hip Hop and some of its imagery. That 

has always existed. When Chuck Berry and Little Richard came 

out, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, a Black woman coming out of the 

church in Philadelphia, playing rock and roll and the electric 

guitar — parents were clutching their pearls. Now a lot of people 

are saying that R&B is dead. It’s not dead. It’s being reimagined 

by young people of this time. And we shouldn’t be so critical and 

negative about it because it's not what we are accustomed to. 

Instead, the question is how do we celebrate these young artists, 

how do we applaud them and support them? I love this generation 

of artists. I love the creativity that exists. Some people are 

really super talented. And then you've got those that are not so 

much but still get hit records because they have their finger on 

the pulse of dance or styling or some of those other elements that 

people are attracted to. 

I’ll say one more thing. I’m on the board of the National 

Museum of African American Music in Nashville, Tennessee. It's a 

museum 22 years in the making. It's 56,000-square-feet of seven 

galleries that take us from the 1600s all the way up to right now. 

It is incredible, and I want to encourage people to come, visit and 

become members (we have all levels of membership). This is a 

museum for us, by us and it is an amazing, beautiful institution 

that celebrates music and culture, America's indigenous music, 

our soundtrack to our lives. You can learn more about us at 

blackmusicmuseum.com or nmaam.org. AC 

AphroChic Black Music Now Playlist 

Curated by Dyana Williams 

Pick Up Your Feelings, Jazmine Sullivan 

Leave the Door Open, Silk Sonic: R&B duo composed of Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak. 

Mystery Lady, Masego 

Overgrown , Joyce Wrice 

Don’t Keep Me Waiting, Kwesi Arthur (featuring Kidi) 

Damage, H.E.R. 

Sementes, Rael, Negra Li 

Hold Me Close, Kelontae Gavin 

Sorry Don’t Work No More, Brittney Spencer 

Write Your Own Bible, Idia Gamble 

Listen to the full playlist on AphroChic’s Spotify 


PINPOINT 

Artists & Artisans | Hot Topic | Who Are You

ARTISTS & ARTISANS 

THE CONSTANT NOW: In Antwerp A Husband-And-Wife 

Team Are Working To Diversify The Art World 

Magali Elali and her husband and creative partner Bart Kiggen have been working 

together on creative pursuits for over a decade. The two were the creative force behind 

Coffeeklatch, a blog dedicated to seeing creative entrepreneurs at home. Through their 

bright and inviting imagery and keen storytelling, readers were introduced to a host 

of inspirational creatives. In 2013, they launched an online magazine, All Items Loaded, 

another space where readers were introduced to creatives from around the globe 

through interviews, editorials, photography and video produced by the couple. 



ARTISTS & ARTISANS 

Since then, they have established 

KEEN Antwerp, a creative studio that brings 

together the couple’s worlds of photography, 

graphic design and storytelling. In 

March, KEEN launched a new project - THE 

CONSTANT NOW. 

For Magali and Bart, who are getting 

ready for the birth of their second child, THE 

CONSTANT NOW is aiming to showcase art 

in a way that reflects our diverse world, and 

that mission is no small feat. 

A multi-billion dollar global industry, 

the world of paintings, sculpture, photography 

and other fine art is overwhelmingly 

white and overwhelming male across 

the globe. In every sector, from auctioneers 

to gallerists, diversity is an issue. And 

it leads to a lack of representation in what 

gets shown, what works gain traction, and 

who can build a career. But in the last year, 

something has been percolating. In some of 

the world’s largest art markets, like New York 

City, Black-owned galleries are beginning 

to pop up and for Magali (who is of African 

descent) and Bart, they are working to create 

a more diverse art community in their home 

of Antwerp. 

The gallery’s first show, THE KIDS ARE 

ALRIGHT PT1, opened this past spring. “Our 

new gallery aims to start a conversation 

about diversity, color, and multiple perspectives 

within the art world. By curating and 

bringing together a fantastic cast of young, 

diverse artists, we did just that,” wrote 

Magali on social media during the final days 

of the exhibition. “I'm very pleased about the 

big turnout, the positive reactions, and the 

smooth collaboration with Kevin Botongo 

Kotahunyi of Please Add Color. This first 

group show was a hit on so many levels!” 

Over 13 days, the gallery hosted 

hundreds of visitors who came to support the 

work of local artists, many who were of color. 

Showcasing an experimental mix of disciplines, 

including paintings, installations, 

drawings, and textiles, there was not only 

racial diversity present, but artistic diversity 

as well. Hosted in the couple’s gallery space, 

gallerists, curators, museum directors and 

members of the local community flocked 

to come see the new work. “Reactions were 

highly positive, which we didn’t expect,” 

Magali confessed. 

This fall, THE CONSTANT NOW will 

launch its second exhibition, THE KIDS ARE 

ALRIGHT PT2. We’re sure Antwerp and the 

rest of the art world will be watching to see 

what this blossoming gallery does next as 

they continue to make the case that diversity 

in the arts matters. AC 

Magali Elali and her husband 

and creative partner, Bart 

Kiggen. Learn more about 

upcoming exhibitions at 

theconstantnow.com 


HOT TOPIC 

Pride and Protest: What should Pride Look Like? 

Pride marks the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, multiple demonstrations as 

a result of police violence at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village. In the 

early hours of June 28, 1969, Stonewall patrons and community members clashed with 

police after officers stormed the bar, arresting, violating, and beating people as part 

of their routine raids on queer establishments. The escalation turned into two days 

of rebellion and protest, and what is considered to be one of the greatest movements 

in queer liberation. 

As a result we have Pride, a month of 

parades across the world that celebrate 

LGBTQIA2S+ history, identity, and progress. 

Today, Pride looks vastly different from the 

early demonstrations. Pride Parades are 

sponsored events, with police presence and 

celebrity guests. In America, Pride season 

has become a mainstream and commodified 

time, a revisionist history of what has been a 

difficult half century. It is a premature party 

during a very precarious moment. 

Surprisingly (to myself at least), I have 

only been to one Pride Parade. While the 

Dykes on Bikes got me misty-eyed, I was 

disappointed by the corporations skipping 

by, offering stickers and merch in hopes of 

gaining my attention, trust, and ultimately 

my patronage. Many companies change 

their logo to rainbow for Pride month, 

and stores start stocking Pride gear. From 

ugly T-shirts, to Pride ads, to sponsoring 

parades, the June market is saturated 

by companies vying for approval and 

influence. When I first came out, this development 

was exciting. I used a rainbow 

logo as a measure of progression, representation, 

and safety. But this pink or 

rainbow washing starts June 1st and ends 

on the 30th. These corporations brush their 

actively discriminatory histories under the 

rainbow rug and continue to support homophobic 

causes and politicians the rest 

of the year. The LGBTQ+ community is only 

another identity to exploit profit off of. 

Rainbow capitalism is just one example 

of the way Pride is devalued. In the US, pride 

celebrates markers of “progress” including 

marriage equality, the repeal of Don’t Ask, 

Don’t Tell, and other legislation. These 

moments should be recognized, however 

they do less to mark queer liberation and 

point more to an assimilation into heteronormative 

establishments and their respectability. 

This progress is only relevant to 

a small portion of the queer community. Is it 

time to celebrate when the history of criminalization 

and the AIDS crisis is so recent? 

When 44 trans people were murdered 

in 2020 and 29+ already this year; where 

20%-40% of homeless youth identify as 

LGBTQ+; where transwomen of color are 

subject to high levels of police violence; and 

where queer people are more likely to be 

assaulted or take their own lives? We have 

more work to do. 

One thing that the Stonewall Uprising 

and current Pride parades have in common 

Words by Ruby Brown 

Photos by Leandro Justen 


HOT TOPIC 

is the presence of cops. During that fateful 

night in Greenwich, the police fought 

against the community, but now they patrol 

the parade and even march along. Law enforcement 

has a long history of abusing 

the queer community. The violence queer 

people faced at the hands of the cops during 

bar raids like Stonewall throughout the 20th 

century was horrific. 

When considered with the constant 

brutality towards Black people, the overpolicing 

of trans people in the street, and the 

higher arrest rates for queer people ,there 

is no room in a queer community space 

for potential violence. Cops at Pride don’t 

make it any safer. They’re a reminder of a 

vicious past and a presence that is discomforting 

at best, dangerous at worst. 

All this criticism to say, in short, that 

Pride shouldn’t be a policed progress party 

for the privileged. They called Stonewall a 

riot, a rebellion, an uprising. And that’s what 

we need more of. 

In 1997, Cathy Cohen, political 

scientist and activist, published Punks, 

Bulldaggers, and Welfare Queens: The 

Radical Potential of Queer Politics?. In this 

essay, which received a follow-up reflection 

in 2019 (The Radical Potential of Queer? 

Twenty Years Later), Cohen proposes, “I 

am interested in examining the concept 

of ‘queer’ in order to think about how we 

might construct a new political identity 

that is truly liberating, transformative, 

and inclusive of all those who stand on the 

outside of the dominant constructed norm 

of state-sanctioned white middle- and upper-class 

heterosexuality.” In Cohen’s conception, 

the new “queers,” comprised of all 

marginalized groups (LGBTQ+, people of 

color, women, working class and disabled 

people, etc.) could strategically band 

together to uproot heteronormativity. 

Cohen argues for an intersectional 

approach to queer liberation. And this 

is what I propose we need for Pride. Pride 

should be a continued rebellion against oppression. 

Pride should be accessible, a BLM 

rally, a Women’s march, a labor movement. 

The oppression faced for being Black or 

gay or poor comes from the same source. 


HOT TOPIC 

The violence that we march against in BLM 

demonstrations is the violence that victimizes 

trans and disabled people. That power is 

supported by capitalism and corporations, 

homonationalist dogma, and police. These 

are the things we don’t need at Pride and what 

we should unite against. 

This idea isn’t new. People have been 

rebelling against the commodification of Pride 

for ages now. Fortunately, there are some 

examples of what an intersectional, radical 

Pride looks like. 

The Queer Liberation March, hosted by 

the Reclaim Pride Coalition in NYC is an alternative 

demonstration whose tag line is “No 

corps, no cops, no bs!”. Their mission is to 

remember Stonewall and the people of color 

that were so instrumental in the movement 

and keep them at the heart of their cause. 

In 2020, the March was canceled due to the 

pandemic. After the death of George Floyd, it 

was rescheduled and reframed as the Queer 

Liberation March for Black Lives and Against 

Police Brutality. Year round they do programming 

for BLM and abolition and are a platform 

for artists of color. 

The Reclaim Pride Coalition is one 

of many organizations seeking progress 

and justice across intersectional identities. 

Demonstrations like these make a better, 

prouder Pride. With even NYC Pride decreasing 

police presence, the Prides they are 

a-changin’ for sure. 52 years after Stonewall, 

it’s time to return to Pride as a protest that 

liberates us all. AC 


WHO ARE YOU 

Name: 

Naomi Abrams 

Based In: 

Brooklyn 

Occupation: 

Recruiting Analyst at Accenture and 

owner of The Vintage Trixie 

Currently: 

Exploring my passion for contemporary 

art. I love art, and Black history, vintage 

Black photography and Caribbean 

history. My goal is to bring it out 

through vibrant freehand illustrations. 

Mostly powerful images of Black women 

as we deserve to be represented in 

colorful vibrant art. 

Black Culture Is: 

Integral to my very essence. It reflects 

the varied experiences of the Diaspora 

in its writing, art, music, food and 

vernacular, unalterably shaped by 

its historic and geographic roots. It's 

African beginnings are evident in music, 

for instance throughout the Caribbean 

and Latin America. And as someone 

whose provenance is Caribbean, and 

who also lived in Africa, it holds special 

significance for me. As an immigrant 

from Guyana, living in America, I am 

inescapably immersed in Black culture 

which has evolved out of its tumultuous 

history into a phenomenon that is 

dynamic, influential and much copied. 

Self-portrait 

by Naomi 

112 aphrochic

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Aphrochic Magazine: Issue No. 7

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