AphroChic Magazine: Issue No. 14

APHROCHIC
a curated lifestyle magazine
ISSUE NO. 14 \ WINTER 2023
BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL \ IN SEARCH OF TRUE REPRESENTATION \ THE JOIE OF FELLOWSHIP
APHROCHIC.COM

www.fisherpaykel.com

And just like that, we’re here at the end of another year. 2023 has been an amazing
collection of highlights, firsts, and dreams come true. We never imagined the reception
that APHROCHIC: Celebrating the Legacy of the Black Family Home would receive. After a
10-month tour, we’ve spoken about the meaning of home to our community at the National
Book Festival, The African American Museum in Philadelphia, The Free Black Women’s
Library in Brooklyn, and at Harvard University.
Thank you to everyone who has come to see us, and who have taken the time to share your story with us. Most of all, thank you
to everyone who is taking this opportunity to grow the conversation, highlighting stories of our families and our homes in America’s
history and bringing attention to the important role of homes and homeownership in the health and wealth of Black Americans.
Beyond the book, 2023 marked the opening of the AphroChic Art Shop on Perigold and Wayfair. We are grateful to all of the
incredible artists who have partnered with us, and everyone who has supported them. We look forward to growing the collection,
and bringing this platform to more artists. And finally, 2023 marked the four-year anniversary of AphroChic magazine. We could
not be more proud of this publication and the community it is building. We thank all of our readers for being part of the journey
with us, celebrating the culture, history and diversity of our Diaspora and the endless sea of talent and creativity within it.
In this issue, our cover story is a conversation with producer, emcee, and electronic music icon, Thavius Beck. The veteran of
Project Blowed and Low End Theory walks us through his journey from 16-year-old battle rapper to electronic music pioneer to his
current position as a professor for Berklee NYC. From there we take you to Casco Viejo, Panama, for a tour of the sights, sounds, pirate-filled
history and must-try eateries of this Caribbean jewel.
Taking a closer look at the first steps of the movement for diversity in the fashion industry and its next steps in the design
industry, we look at Invisible Beauty, celebrating the career and impact of iconic model and agent, Bethann Hardison. We then
explore the ups and downs of representation in the design industry from the perspective of Black students and professionals.
In Interior Design, we invite you into the home of artist, Huda Hashim. The British-born, Sudanese designer’s four-bedroom
Texas home is a mix of influences from around the world, highlighted with works from the artist’s own studio. Then we’re in the
kitchen with Chef Kenny Gilbert, author of the new book, Southern Cooking, Global Flavors to taste his incredible, South American-inspired,
Coffee-Rubbed Spareribs.
Ajiri Aki introduces us to the sense of “Joie” (joy) that began for her in Texas and that stems directly from her Nigerian roots.
And in this issue’s Hot Topic, we take time to appreciate our beloved aunties and uncles, looking at their place in the culture from
African traditions to TV’s greatest, to the “Rich Aunties” and “Educated Uncles” of today. Finally, doctor of psychology, dancer and
wellness guru Kimya Jackson reminds us of the power of dance and the importance of being at home in our own skin.
It was an amazing year, and we’re ending it with an equally amazing issue. The new year and new possibilities are just around
the corner. We can’t wait to see you there.
Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason
Founders, AphroChic
Instagram: @aphrochic
editors’ letter

WINTER 2023
DEPARTMENTS
Read This 10
Visual Cues 14
Coming Up 16
The Black Family Home 18
Mood 30
FEATURES
Fashion // Black Is Beautiful 38
Interior Design // An Artistic Abode 46
Culture // In Search of True Representation 60
Food // A Culinary Journey 68
Entertaining // The Joie of Fellowship 72
City Stories // Panama's Rich History 78
Wellness // A Home Within Ourselves 96
Sounds // Journey Through Sound 102
PINPOINT
Artists & Artisans 110
Hot Topic 116
Who Are You? 122

CONTRIBUTORS
Cover Photo: Thavius Beck
Photographer: Monifa Perry
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
Contributor:
Krystle DeSantos
issue fourteen 9

READ THIS
HOLIDAY
BOOKS
The pandemic may have started an increase in reading, but that trend
hasn't slowed in the last few years. In fact, we're seeing a Renaissance
in reading with even tech-obsessed Gen Z consuming print books at
a huge rate. They've even fueled #BookTok on TikTok. In the last year,
Black published authors have also increased by 20%, covering every
category from cookbooks to fiction to YA. AphroChic's founders have
two published books, with another in the works, so we're definitely
obsesssed with fabulous reads. Here are our selections for the best books
to give friends and family over the holiday season — or to purchase for
yourself. We've selected one favorite in the most popular categories,
including a look at the Tulsa tragedy, LL Cool J's homage to Hip-Hop,
and a retrospective of artist Hughie Lee-Smith's work.
nonfiction
Built from the Fire
by Victor Luckerson
Publisher: Random House.
$18.99
fiction
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
by James McBride
Publisher: Riverhead. $18.99
music
The Streets Win: 50 Years of Hip-Hop Greatness
by LL Cool J, Vikki Tobak, Alec Banks
Publisher: Rizzoli. $49.50
10 aphrochic

Celebrate Black homeownership and the
amazing diversity of the Black experience
with AphroChic’s newest book
In this powerful, visually stunning book, Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason explore
the Black family home and its role as haven, heirloom, and cornerstone of Black
culture and life. Through striking interiors, stories of family and community,
and histories of the obstacles Black homeowners have faced for generations,
AphroChic honors the journey, recognizes the struggle, and embraces the joy.
AVAILABLE WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD

READ THIS
HOLIDAY
BOOKS
children's
The Kindest Red
by Ibtihaj Muhammad
Publisher: Little, Brown.
$15.84
art
Hughie Lee-Smith
by Hilton Als, Steve Locke,
Lauren Haynes, and Leslie
King-Hammond.
Publisher: Karma. $60
young adult
The Shadow Sister
by Lily Meade
Publisher: Sourcebooks. $13
cooking
Goon with the Spoon
by Snoop Dogg and
Earl "E-40" Stevens
Publisher: Chronicle. $22.45
essays
Quietly Hostile
by Samantha Irby
Publisher: Vintage. $12.99
12 aphrochic

ELEVATE
YOUR
STYLE
The New York School of Interior Design offers online and on-campus
programs for everyone—from aspiring designers to professionals.
Take an intro course, or enroll in a grad program. Specialize in fields like
lighting, sustainability, or healthcare.
No matter what you choose, we’ll help you design the spaces
where life is lived.
LEARNMORE.NYSID.EDU/APHROCHIC

VISUAL CUES
The Public Art Fund of New York has installed sculptor Fred Eversley’s 12-foot Parabolic Light, a cylindrical
lens work, in the Doris C. Freedman Plaza in Central Park. On display through Aug. 25, 2024, the work
is cast from magenta polyurethane and is the artist's first public sculpture in New York. Eversley is
a groundbreaking artist who was in the vanguard of the Light and Space art movement that started in
Southern California in the 1960s. Trained as an engineer at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh, Eversley
also worked for NASA's labs, performing experiments with light and sound. He moved to Venice, Calif., in
1964 where he began experimenting with cast resin, polishing it to capture and manipulate light. When a
car accident in 1967 left him on crutches for a year, Eversley turned to art for therapy and work. His unique
approach from both a scientific and artistic view led to his being named the first artist-in-residence at the
Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum. In 1970, he cast his first full parabolic lens in polyester,
launching a body of work that would become his primary focus for over 50 years. Parabolic Light is Eversley’s
first outdoor sculpture and the largest to date in his Cylindrical Lens series. Public Art Fund exhibitions and
programs are supported by individual donors, as well as public funds from government agencies in New
York State. To learn more about the exhibit, the Public Art Fund, or Fred Eversley, go to publicartfund.org.
14 aphrochic

DIVINE
FEMININITY
BY FARES MICUE
PERIGOLD.COM

COMING UP
Events, exhibits, and happenings that celebrate and explore the African Diaspora.
Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival
Jan. 5-14, 2024 | Tampa Bay
The Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival is a 10-day
cultural event that features speakers, musicians,
artists, poets, and craftspeople locally and nationally.
The 20-year-old festival includes the two-day Music
Fest, which takes place the weekend of the Martin
Luther King Jr. holiday, as well as its Annual 5K Run/
Walk for Health & Wellness sponsored by Publix.
Learn more at tampablackheritage.org.
Pan African Film & Arts Festival
Feb. 6-19, 2024 | Los Angeles
An Academy Award-qualifying event, the Pan African Film & Arts Festival showcases
over 200 films from established and emerging Black filmmakers from over
40 countries, and in 19 languages. Tens of thousands of attendees are able to view
new short films, documentaries, and long-form films, and attend industry panels,
special events, and installations. Past attendees, judges, and filmmakers include
Denzel Washington, Sidney Poitier, Danny Glover, Idris Elba, Mo’Nique, Kevin
Hart, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, Phylicia Rashad, Lou Gossett, Jr., Issa Rae, Taraji
P. Henson, Trevor Noah, David Oyewolo, Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett,
Majid Michel, Alfre Woodard, Blair Underwood, and Kerry Washington. For more
information, go to filmfreeway.com.
Afrobeats in America
Feb. 17, 2024 | Houston
Featuring top African music artists and bands, the AfroBeats
festival offers a music lovers an opportunity to experience
the fusion of African rhythms and beats with American music.
The event takes place on the 12-acre Discovery Green in
downtown Houston. Show organizers are working with the
Nigerian government, through the Ministry of Tourism And
Creative Economy, to highlight artists from Nigeria, as well
as those located in the U.S. The festival also includes food
vendors, fashion designers, a kids' zone, and art installations.
For more information, go to aiafestival.com.
16 aphrochic

THE KINTSUGI
MIRROR
PERIGOLD.COM

THE BLACK FAMILY HOME
Art as Expression in the Black Family Home
Art is an incredibly versatile design tool. It can be the
finishing touch to a room or the starting point. Pieces can
work together or skillfully clash. Occasionally, it can even
be the solution to problems that can’t be solved in any other
way. In all of its forms, painting, sculpture or otherwise, art
can be very overt, making clear statements of a cultural,
social or even political nature, writing the perspective of the
collector into the space in clear and unmistakable terms. In
the Black family home, art is much more than just an investment,
a showcase of status, or flossing. It has a larger and
more important function in our homes — collecting is a form
of self-expression.
In APHROCHIC: Celebrating the Legacy of the Black
Family Home, we present and explore the idea of approaching
a specifically African American design perspective as a
cultural artifact that serves to meet the needs of the people
who create it. Specifically, we identify five needs that design
in the Black family home serves: Safety, Control, Visibility,
Celebration, and Memory. Collectively — though not exclusively
— these five combine to create the feeling of the Black
family home; that vibe that we recognize and cherish and
that we miss when we’re away from it for too long. And art
has a significant role in helping us to find each one.
Control, the freedom to make the choices we want to
make is inherent to design and to picking art for our rooms.
As Black people in America there are few places where we
enjoy the measure of control that we experience at home
and choosing how we decorate our walls, from the images
of Malcolm and Martin that many of us grew up with, to
contemporary works of modern art and photography, is
important in how we express ourselves at home. Similarly,
art can help provide a sense of visibility, celebration, and
memory that is often lacking outside of our houses.
Away from stereotypes, caricature, misrecognitions
A gorgeous hand-beaded
mask from Gabon sits on
the shelf in the library.
The Black Family Home is an
ongoing series focusing on the
history and future of what home
means for Black families.
This series inspired the new book
AphroChic: Celebrating the Legacy
of the Black Family Home.
Words and Photos by Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason
18 aphrochic

THE BLACK FAMILY HOME
and the general dismissals and refutations
of our experiences that accompany
the lopsided power dynamics of white gaze,
choosing art for our homes is an opportunity
for us to be not only seen but recognized,
celebrated as being central to the narrative
and remembered as we are instead of as
someone else prefers to see us. It is the
presence of these feelings, among others,
that provides us with the sense of safety that
enables us to feel at home in our spaces. Like
all foundations, these fundamental needs
are only the beginning — the ends towards
which we design. How we express ourselves,
the means through which we reach those
ends, is as widely diverse as the number of
experiences that we have and the ways in
which we are able to see and convey them.
Like every other part of a designed space,
the unique ways in which art is employed
in the individual home is a reflection of the
people who inhabit the space and the things
that ultimately makes them feel at home.
Though this is the first house we’ve
owned, this farmhouse is the latest in a
series of homes we’ve shared in various
cities across the country, starting with the
first apartment we shared in Philadelphia
in the early 2000s. While the homes were as
different as the cities they were located in,
the simple fact that we were together was
what made each of them feel like home. Our
art collection, like the house itself, is a celebration
of the relationship that brought
us here. Pieces that were picked up as we
moved to DC, California, back home to
Pennsylvania, and then to New York and
sourced during trips to Morocco, France,
Italy, and Germany, have been with us on
the journey, helping us to tell our own story
of home.
As we were designing the AphroFarmhouse,
a lot of thought went into planning
the way that the art we’ve collected over the
years would work in the space. One of the first
decisions was to create a series of themes that
would not only connect the art in different
rooms, but connect the rooms themselves.
Through paintings, sculptures, photographs,
and even condiment dispensers, the art in
the AphroFarmhouse reflects what’s most
important to us. Moreover, different rooms
highlight different art media.
In the living room there is a clear
emphasis on sculpture, while the library
focuses more on imagery, with book covers
displayed as art pieces and framed photography
and figurative paintings on display.
Yet one of the biggest overarching themes
you’ll see when looking at our collection
is the balance of masculine and feminine
energies. Too often, as African Americans,
we find ourselves divided by sex in mass
media representations as well as in our
internal conversations. The Battle of the
Sexes is a divide-and-conquer trope to
which we have proven to be fairly susceptible.
And while there are valid experiences
behind these narratives, the fetishization
of Black women and the disappearance
and attendant conservatization of Black
men is built on the foundation of separation
that it provides. As a counter-narrative, in
our curation we work to create a balance of
masculinity and femininity in the pieces
that we choose and the ways that they are
displayed.
An heirloom velvet painting of Issac
Hayes in the kitchen, a 3D printed bust of
T’Challa (The Black Panther) in the library
and the Jamal Bust in our living room, all
bring overt attention to the Black male
as a figure of artistic attention, calling to
memory the important men in our lives
20 aphrochic

Opposite page, left: A framed art print of an African American couple by Brazilian-based ThingDesign is an ode to Black love.
Opposite page, right: An Ife sculpture from Nigeria was discovered while exploring the souks in the medina of Marrakech.
This page, above: A surrealist self-portrait by Spanish photographer Fares Micue is one of the feminine guardians in the library.
issue fourteen 21

A love of sculpture big and small, a handmade
soapstone chess set from Kenya
has pride of place in the library.
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issue fourteen 23

THE BLACK FAMILY HOME
and celebrating them as an important part of our culture. While
artwork that celebrates Black women comes in the form of busts
that fill the sculpture garden in our living room, and studies of
the Black female form in pottery and photography that inhabit
our kitchen and library. The library holds some of our favorite
female imagery, including the Trudon candle reproductions of
the Carpeaux sculpture, Pourquoi naître esclave?, and a beautifully
surrealistic self-portrait by photographer Fares Micue. Across
from it hangs an amazing portrait of a Black onna-bugeisha — a
female samurai — by Tim Okamura. Together the two represent
a balance of hard and soft and function as the “guardians” of the
space. Meanwhile, the kitchen is also home to a print of a Barkley
L. Hendricks portrait of a fierce woman in a head wrap, and a
photo of Jeanine’s cousin that first inspired the aesthetic behind
AphroChic. Just as with the male images, these works invoke the
memory of the women who matter most to us while celebrating
the many sides of Black women.
We balance the two because men and women have both
worked, whether jointly or separately, to shape our culture, guard
our community and nurture our generations. Too often in celebrating
one we lose sight of the other, or in emphasizing a particular
role that one has played, we forget other roles played with
equal ability, overlook the roles that we play equally but differently,
or mistakenly assign roles as responsibilities, unintentionally
limiting the potential and perspective of our own experiences.
The art narrative at the AphroFarmhouse, beginning with the
balance of male and female and proceeding through separate
venerations of each, culminates in the equal joining of the two in
expressions of Black love.
Many of our paintings depict couples, and many of our
statues are arranged together in male and female “couples.”
In the kitchen, two paintings of a couple by Brazilian art brand
ThingDesign sits over the banquette in our breakfast nook. In the
living room, another couple painted by Australian artist Mafalda
Vasconcelos adorns the walls above the sofa. By the front door,
paired masks, masculine and feminine, usher us out the door and
welcome us home when we return. Similarly, small sculpted busts
on the shelves in the library live together as a couple. Though
all art is open to interpretation, we include these paintings and
pairings to reflect what are for us the most ideal elements that
make a relationship feel like home: affection, harmony, partnership,
togetherness, mutual respect and shared comfort.
This collection that has been built over 27 years together, five
cities, and travel to five countries, is filled with pieces that make
us feel at home, that tell our story, that speak to the things that
matters most to us. Our curated collection is a form of self-expression
and ultimately expresses the love we have for one
another. Imagine what story an art collection can tell for you.
Sources for Building A Black Art Collection
The AphroChic Art Shop
Earlier this year AphroChic began collaborating with
emerging artists from across the African Diaspora. Currently,
our art offerings include limited edition busts by Jessica
Jean-Baptiste, stunning photographs by Fares Micue and a line of
one-of-a-kind mirrors by Candice Luter. More artist collaborations
will be coming in 2024.
BetterShared: Contemporary African Art
At BetterShared you can discover pieces from some of the
world’s most exciting African artists. It’s where we discovered
the work of artists like Neals Niat, Mamus Esiebo, and Lambi
Chibambo. If you’re not sure where to start, you can take an art
style quiz to find pieces that are the perfect fit for your home.
Society6
Society6 is home to a cadre of independent artists from
across the globe. We love perusing the site to find pieces by
Black artists. You can order prints, choose frames, and get them
shipped to your home quickly. They make starting a collection
easy and accessible. AC
"Sisters" by Mafalda Vasconcelos
24 aphrochic

issue fourteen 25

THE BLACK FAMILY HOME
Top left: A sculptural vase from Italy is a celebration
of the Black, female body.
Top right: A bust discovered on Ebay by an
unknown artist, sits in the sculpture garden in
the living room.
Left: Artist Jessie Chen's "The Picnic", showcasing
an African American couple, hangs in the
bedroom.
Right page: FEMME SUCRÉE by Neals Niat is
a reference to a love song from one of the most
popular singers in Cameroon called PETIT PAYS.
The framed piece is a limited edition from the
online contemporary art platform, BetterShared,
that focuses on emerging artists from across the
African Diaspora.
26 aphrochic

issue fourteen 27

THE BLACK FAMILY HOME
Top left: Book covers are displayed as artwork on the shelves
of the AphroFarmhouse library.
Top right: The collection even includes miniature pieces,
including a deck of playing cards by Kehinde Wiley, and cast
pins by Black British artist Dorcas Magbadelo.
Opposite page: "Kalemba III" by Brazilian illustrator, Willian
Santiago, adds vibrance to a corner in the guest bedroom.
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issue fourteen 29

MOOD
Presents That Celebrate
Their Passions
We love gift-giving season. We truly enjoy
finding that perfect present that speaks to
who the individual is — what they are passionate
about, what they wish for, what they
dream of. Once a year, if we can give them
something that when they open it, they feel
like a child all over again, experiencing a
moment of pure joy and excitement, then
that is the true gift of the season. Here are
30 presents that speak to what a person
loves. Whether hosting, collecting music, or
playing games, these gifts celebrate their
passions and come straight from the heart.
GIFTS FOR
THE HOST
Black Raffia Fringed
Coasters, Set of 4
indegoafrica.org
Royalty Flatware
Multicolor Set $180
post21shop.com
Nguka Limoges Platter
$368
54kibo.com
Jungalow Clay Taper
Candle Holder $20
target.com
30 aphrochic

Sweet July Herringbone
Handcrafted Glass
Decanter & Glasses $119
potterybarn.com
Estelle Cake Stand
in Amber $225
estellecoloredglass.com
Yaël & Valérie Landmark
Cotton Placemats Set of 2
$88
54kibo.com
Boma Napkin Set
starting at $15
sarzastore.com
(Untitled) Pitcher by Kara
Walker $1,500
artwareeditions.com
Nick Cave Ceramic Plates
starting at $65
thirddrawerdown.com
issue fourteen 31

MOOD
Beyoncé Renaissance
Deluxe Edition $48
shopcrateism.com
Tina Turner in Black
And White $285
graciousstyle.com
Jrumz Clarity Headphones
$199.99
jrumzworld.com
Halt Red Boombox
Sculpture, contact for price
artnet.com
Nipsey Hussle Iron on
Embroidery Patch $11.50
etsy.com
32 aphrochic

GIFTS FOR THE
MUSICOLOGIST
Jimi $50
amazon.com
House of Marley Stir It Up
Wireless Turntable $249
amazon.com
Marvin Gaye Dream of a
Lifetime Sweater $100
dreamsoftriumph.com
Larada 6 Legion Guitar
$1,999
abasiconcepts.com
Soldier of Love Pin
$15.50
etsy.com
issue fourteen 33

MOOD
Trendsetters
Puzzle by Grace
Lynne Haynes
$25
newyorkpuzzlecompany.com
Brave. Black. First. Puzzle
$16.99 amazon.com
Matisse’s Model Puzzle x
Faith Ringgold $45
thirddrawerdown.us
Fanous Puzzle by
Roeqiya Fris $34
whiled.co
Ronald Jackson Some
Refused to Work in the
Fields Puzzle $36
apostrophepuzzles.com
34 aphrochic

GIFTS FOR
THE PUZZLER
Derrick Adams x Dreamyard
Double-Sided Jigsaw
Puzzle $16.99
galison.com
Le Dejeuner Jigsaw Puzzle
x Mickalene Thomas $35
thirddrawerdown.us
Black Archives Puzzle:
Two Women $5
ebay.com
Mafalda Vasconcelos
Anathi Puzzle 40.00
jiggypuzzles.com
Tim Okamura Talkin’ All
That Jazz Puzzle $36
apostrophepuzzles.com
issue fourteen 35

FEATURES
Black Is Beautiful | An Artistic Abode | In Search of True Representation |
A Culinary Journey | The Joie of Fellowship | Panama's Rich History |
A Home Within Ourselves | Journey Through Sound

Fashion
Black Is
Beautiful
Bethann Hardison Shares Her Journey In Bringing the
Black Model to the Forefront in INVISIBLE BEAUTY
Black girls hadn’t been seen before is the statement and core sentiment expressed
throughout the documentary film INVISIBLE BEAUTY. The film evokes powerful
emotions in the viewer, kindling feelings of fury and hurt while inspiring viewers
to take action for change. Released in September, the film is a combination of
interviews, photographs, and archival footage, co-directed by French filmmaker
Frédéric Tcheng and Bethann Hardison as a retrospective of Hardison’s life
journey, career, activism, and impact on the fashion industry.
Words by Krystle DeSantos
Photos courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
38 aphrochic

Fashion
With cameras rolling, we are introduced
to Hardison in her New York
apartment, diligently working on her
memoir while deciding on the tone and style
of the documentary's introduction. Her
story spans the breadth of her life from the
early 1940s to present day and takes you on a
journey, from her early years spending time
in the rural south, where segregation was
prevalent, to growing up as a latchkey kid
in the pre-gentrified Bedford-Stuyvesant
neighborhood of Brooklyn.
In the early 1960s Hardison’s career in
fashion began as a long-distance telephone
operator at Cabot, a custom button factory
in the garment district of New York City and
eventually transformed into her becoming
the first Black salesperson in a showroom
while working at Ruth Manchester Ltd., a
junior dress company. In 1967, she was discovered
by the legendary Willi Smith, an
African American designer and pioneer
who popularized streetwear, and she
became his muse and fitting model. Soon
after, Hardison would expand to print and
runway modeling, and in 1973 she became
part of a historical moment in fashion
when she participated in the Battle of Versailles,
which was a fashion show initially
designed to raise money for the Palace of
Versailles’ Marie Antoinette Theater. The
show was a competition of five American
designers against “France’s lions of haute
couture” and it revitalized the American
fashion industry, showcasing American
design from a new perspective, rivaling the
French reputation for elegance and sophistication
while challenging the perception of
American fashion as casual and drab.
In the film, Hardison, who describes
herself as the first "Black, Black model,”
reflects on her experience at the Battle of
Versailles alongside 10 other Black models,
which was unprecedented at the time.
Every step she took was done with intention
as she felt a great sense of responsibility
to represent Black women in an industry
where diversity was very limited. She recalls
how she utilized her performance-based
approach to runway modeling, stopping and
staring boldly with presence at the audience
for a long period of time. This caused the
audience to become excited as they stomped
their feet and screamed “Bravo, bravo!”
Hardison’s work helped to break down
barriers and pave the way for other Black
models to become successful, and by the
early 1980s Bethann’s focus shifted from
modeling to activism within the fashion
industry. She started her own agency
— Bethann Management Agency — and
focused on countering the invisibility of
Black women as well representing a wide
range of ethnicities in fashion, challenging
traditional notions of beauty and diversifying
the industry.
Bethann represented and has been
credited with helping to launch the careers
of many including Veronica Webb, Tyson
Beckford, Kimora Lee Simmons, Ariane
Koizumi, and even her son and actor
Kadeem Hardison, who played the popular
role of character Dwayne Wayne in the '90s
sitcom television series A Different World.
In 1988, Hardison, along with Somali-American
model Iman, co-founded the
Black Girls Coalition as a way to celebrate
and advocate for Black models while raising
awareness for issues including homelessness.
A couple years later, a report by The
City of New York’s Department of Consumer
Affairs was released and it revealed the fact
that only 3.4% of all consumer magazine advertisements
depicted African Americans.
This prompted Hardison and the Black Girls
Coalition to hold a press conference calling
attention to the severe underrepresentation
and lack of diversity in fashion magazines,
runway shows and commercial advertising.
By 1996, Hardison embarked on a
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issue fourteen 41

Fashion
new journey and closed the doors to her namesake agency,
moving to Mexico. Almost immediately after her move she
began receiving calls with requests for her return and with
reports of Black models being eliminated. Hardison gave it
some time, hoping the pendulum would swing, but by 2007
the modeling scene for major fashion brands became homogeneous
with Eastern European models who appeared to
look like clones of each other.
Black and diverse models were waning from print and
the runway scene due to the industry’s intentional exclusion
and attempt at erasure and this led Hardison to organize a
town hall meeting to address these issues. A year later, she
would collaborate on the creation of Vogue Italia’s “All Black”
issue which exclusively featured Black Models and was Vogue
Italia’s highest-selling issue of all time. It also made history
for Condé Naste by being the first magazine issue to be
reprinted.
Though these endeavors proved to be highly successful,
the fashion industry still failed to adequately represent
the diversity of its consumers and in 2013 Hardison wrote an
open letter to the councils of notable designers and industry
leaders calling out their lack of diversity and requesting
accountability as it pertained to their non-inclusive
white-centric runways. This initiated the formation of The
Diversity Coalitions by Bethann, Iman, and Naomi Campbell
with the main goal of increasing racial diversity. The fashion
industry has made strides in recent years, but there is still
much room for improvement and progress especially as it
relates to equity.
Presently at 81 years of life, Hardison’s ongoing
legacy is not devoid of sacrifice, ambition, tenacity, hope
and change. She is lauded by the likes of Tracee Ellis Ross,
Zendaya, Whoopi Goldberg, Iman, and Naomi Campbell, just
to name a few. Revered as the Godmother of Fashion, her
work continues to leave an indelible mark on the industry.
She is currently on the CFDA's Board of Directors and serves
as Gucci's Executive Advisor for Global Equity and Cultural
Engagement. She is also guiding and mentoring a new generation
of fashion trailblazers and activists, including
Aurora James who is the Founder and Creative Director of
luxury accessories brand Brother Vellies, as well as the
Founder of the Fifteen Percent Pledge, a non-profit advocacy
organization that is closing the racial wealth gap by
partnering with retailers to diversify their shelves and
commit 15% of their purchasing power to Black-owned businesses.
Hardison’s film does one of the things she is well known
for — it provokes conversation and ideas about how each
of us can take action to make a change and strive for more
diversity, inclusion, and equity in fashion and beyond. AC
42 aphrochic

Fashion

“I always know you
can change things.
I've done it before.”
- Bethann Hardison
issue fourteen 45

Interior Design
An Artistic Abode
Huda Hashim’s Contemporary Home is Filled with
Pieces that Celebrate Her Sudanese Heritage
British-born with Sudanese ancestry, artist and designer Huda
Hashim’s home is a beautiful mix of cultures. “I love mixing
African and European themes in this space. The juxtaposition of
cultures, shapes, and materials creates eye-pleasing and balanced
compositions,” she says of her four-bedroom home in Plano, Texas,
that she shares with her husband and two sons.
Words by Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason
Photos by Terica Bowser
issue fourteen 47

Interior Design

Interior Design

Interior Design
In this family home, everything is beautifully
composed. Huda, who is an accomplished
3D architect, painter, and interior designer,
has found a way to perfectly blend modernity,
elegance, neutrals, and bold pops of color
within the space. The founder of two 3D printing
companies, HudArts and Manzili 3D, Huda has
also found success as an artist. Original works
can be spotted throughout the home, some that
are now part of her selection of prints available
at Crate & Barrel.
Like many families in 2020, Huda and
her family found themselves moving into a
new home. And like many, they found that the
process was somewhat different than it had
been in the past. “We got lucky,” she explains,
“We bought our home June of 2020, right in the
middle of COVID and so we didn’t get the opportunity
to see it in person.” With endless
periods of scrolling through the listing photos
and magnifying to see each corner as the only
way to see her new home, there was more than
a bit of trepidation on closing day. Fortunately,
crossing the threshold for the first time
was a happy ending to a long process. “It was
extremely clean, renovated, with marble floors
in the kitchen, breakfast area, and laundry room
and freshly painted walls in a grey-blue tone,”
she says.
The renovated space provided a clean
canvas for the artist and designer. Initially
thinking the home needed new paint and other
changes, she began to focus more on the floor
plan and creating a comfortable environment
for her and her family. “At first I wasn’t too sure
about the paint,” she confesses, “so I got part of
the house painted a warmer color.” But as time
went on and she took stock of the home’s architectural
features and how they interacted with
the design, she found the opportunity to reconsider."
A few months later I realized that the cool
grey-blue was actually the perfect choice due
to the house getting tons of natural light from
our large windows,” she says. “The sunlight was
giving the perfect natural warm tones and so a
cool color balanced out the home.”
In the living room, the layout of the corner
fireplace demanded her attention. “Corner fireplaces
are challenging due to the tendency of a
fireplace to be the focal point of a room. With
that point in a corner and the furniture more
centrally placed, you find yourself working to
create a space with a single cohesive focal point
instead of two focal points that are fighting to
be the center of attention.” She found her way,
creating a balanced room through a selection of
contemporary furnishings. “The curved sofas
are in close proximity to each other to create the
effect of sectional seating and the red sculptural
chairs elevate the look from neutral to the right
amount of color.”
Huda’s brand of cool, streamlined
elegance extended into the home’s dining room,
where modern aesthetics blend with nods to
her past. “This room was inspired by historic
Sudanese palaces with red marble and sculptures,”
she explains. At its center, the statuesque
marble table — a 1970s European design
purchased from a local vintage seller — was
a perfect choice. A painting by Huda is on the
dining room wall. “The artworks in my home are
pieces that were created to be the most raw and
authentic version of myself,” she reflects. The
piece, Path to Light, presents a broad, abstract
landscape highlighted by the work’s impressive
length. An inescapable visual piece, it’s also part
of her collaboration with Crate & Barrel. “It feels
cool to be able to tell people ‘this one is at Crate
& Barrel!’” she laughs.
Somehow, with each space so elegantly
composed, it’s also a space that is kid-friendly
for her two sons. “I grew up around art museums
so I love the clean look of modern shapes that
are also warm, cozy, and inviting,” she remarks.
In the kitchen, which has the feel of an upscale
cafe, Huda reports, “This is the room we use the
most for eating, homework and art projects.”
Designed specifically to be visually cohesive
with the living room, the real value, Huda says, is
in its logistical value. “My breakfast room is cozy,
clean, and most importantly, kid-friendly,” she
smiles.
These days, just about every home can use
a space where the owners can work from home
and when the owner is an artist, that space
needs to be a studio. “My art studio has to be a
issue fourteen 53

Interior Design
place that is not only functional,” Huda relates, “but
one that brings out all the creative juices I need when
painting." To make sure her studio inspires her every
time she steps inside, she covered the floor with a
particularly meaningful pattern. “My choice of this
rug was inspired by the checkered floors of the University
of Khartoum in Sudan, a place thriving with
history and knowledge.”
Huda’s love of history comes through in her
home through treasures including her original
paintings, collection of books, and stylish curiosities
from her travels. In the guest bedroom sits another
of her original paintings depicting the Djingareyber
Mosque, a 14th century example of Malian architecture,
which still stands today in the city of Timbuktu.
“My [home] holds the richest of items from my
travels around the world. Among other things,
books purchased from local art galleries, they are my
favorite pieces and can’t be found online.”
Now Huda’s elegant aesthetic can be part of
homes across the country. Her framed wall art prints
for Crate & Barrel are abstract and organic in neutral
tones, with several pieces exploring historic themes
centered around African architecture. Pieces that
are a perfect example of the design philosophy she
has brought home. “I love creating rooms that are
very artistic and sculptural, elevated with North
African cultural elements. A perfect balance between
colorful and neutral by playing with textures, shapes
and natural materials.” AC
54 aphrochic

issue fourteen 55

Interior Design

Interior Design

Culture
In Search of True
Representation
Exploring The Black Design Experience
Before and After School
In the American design industry, as in so many other areas of our
society, the question of representation has taken center stage in the
ongoing conversation around race. Even by itself, representation is a
concept of many layers, each of them begging questions of their own.
Yet despite this apparent complexity, the issue is generally approached
from one of two sides: addressing the absence of Black professionals
from design-focused media such as magazines and television shows;
and increasing the number of Black people working in the field.
.
Words by Bryan Mason
Photos furnished by Gail Davis and Taurean Jones
This feature is sponsored
by the New York School of
Interior Design.
60 aphrochic

TELL
YOUR
STORY
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Culture
But ultimately the question remains whether
either of these things, or both of them together, will
create meaningful and lasting change. One place
to look for answers is in the experiences of those
designers of color already in the field, and those who
are preparing to enter it.
Designers enter into their profession through
any number of doors, irrespective of heritage. Those
who pursue an academic study of design in anticipation
of a career in its practice present an excellent
opportunity to examine the dynamics of diversity
at the very start of the journey. By definition, a
formal education in the canon of a field is a study in
inclusion and exclusion. But representation is not
only a matter of who is included in the textbooks, but
who is in the classroom to read them.
There are a number of factors contributing
to the absence of Black students from the rolls
of interior design schools. Though many designers
of all backgrounds find the field while searching
for a second or third career, one effect of the lack of
media presence for Black designers is a general assumption
that design is not an economically viable
career for Black people. As a result, many look for
other professional avenues before investigating an
interest in design.
“I took the long way around,” confesses
Taurean Jones, a third-year bachelors student at the
New York School of Interior Design (NYSID). Though
his interest in the field recalls his earliest days in
Southern California, the idea of him pursuing a
career in design initially met with resistance. “I
remember watching a lot of HGTV in the fourth or
fifth grade, and I saw Trading Spaces for kids,” he
recalls. “When my mom asked my brothers and I
what we wanted to be when we grew up, I mentioned
design.” When his mother’s response was less than
enthusiastic, Taurean looked in another direction.
Joining the Air Force at age 20, he spent eight years as
a generator mechanic. The time wasn’t wasted. It led
Taurean to a number of important conclusions. “I
realized the military wasn't for me,” he begins, “and
then after getting out, I knew that design was definitely
what I wanted to do.”
Gail Davis, one of NYSID’s notable Black design
graduates, recounts a similar story. For her, the turn
to design was about more than switching careers, it
was a vital moment of discovering her own voice. “If
you watch the movie The Devil Wears Prada, that was
my life,” she laughs. “I was the assistant to a senior
Gail Davis. Opposite and next page, interiors designed
by Gail Davis.
vice president, later president at Saks, and I was
just burned out.” At the root of her workplace disenchantment
was an experience all too common
for Black women in corporate environments. “I was
tired of white women in higher positions speaking
down to me, calling me things like ‘flighty,’ or
‘airhead.’” After a period of talking herself into and
out of quitting the job, a package delivered to her
boss one day helped clarify the way forward. “It was a
plaque that read, ‘What would you do if you knew you
could not fail?’” As soon as Gail saw it she knew. “I’d
go back to school for design,” she said.
Easily ranking among the nation’s most prestigious
institutes of study for interior design, NYSID
was founded more than a century ago in midtown
Manhattan. Situated in one of America’s most cul-
62 aphrochic

turally diverse cities, with a range of curricula
covering topics as general as basic interior design
certification and as specific as design for healthcare
environments, there are few places better suited for
considering the future of design and the growing
role of representation within it. The school itself
boasts a student population that is nearly 5% Black.
It’s an impressive metric compared to the national
demographic which finds Black designers making
up less than 2% of the profession nationwide.
For Taurean, who also applied to the Rhode
Island School of Design (RISD), choosing NYSID as
the place to pursue his studies came down to the
type of experience the institution promised. “It felt
more like an apprenticeship,” he said of the curriculum.
“You're getting a very focused experience.
I'm in the bachelor’s program now, but the master’s
programs offer the opportunity to focus on specific
topics like lighting and healthcare.”
As a graduate, Gail attributes much of her
success to her alma mater, especially to the professors
who guided her first, uncertain steps into
the classroom. “I had one amazing professor, Ms.
Charlene,” she remembers. “She pulled me aside
the first week of class and said, ‘Let me tell you
something, put your head down and do the work.
You can do this.’” Despite being one of her hardest
professors, Gail also remembers her as among the
most encouraging. “When she didn’t like my work,
she would mark my paper, ‘You're better than this,’”
the designer smiles.
For Gail and Taurean both, the NYSID experience
has been invaluable. Already in the third year of
his bachelor's program, Taurean is honing his focus
on interiors and furniture design. At the same time,
Gail is planning her return. “I have my associate
degree,” she says, “but I want to go back. I want to
go all the way to PhD.” Yet in both cases, a design
education has not changed the experience of an
industry structured to think of diversity as a mission
rather than a reflex. “I’ve had the experience a few
times,” Taurean relates, “where I feel like I don't have
a spot in the room when we’re talking about design.”
Even more troublesome are the moments and experiences
that he can relate to. “I’ve seen experienced
Black, male designers speaking on panels about
difficult experiences. Their stories were immediately
glossed over, and I felt like, if that's how it is for him,

Culture
then I'm not crazy, because I just saw it happen to
somebody else.” Yet the Black designer experience
is a vital and missing part of the conversation in
the design industry, just as the Black perspective
is missing from the conversation on design itself.
“It hits different when it's us,” Gail confides
on designing for Black homes. “Lately, it feels like
I'm emptying my soul into all my projects. It's very
moving for me when my clients go into a space
and they're like, ‘I can't believe this is for me.’”
As the designer confirms, the sentiment stems
from more than the achievement of a luxurious
aesthetic. “It just makes me so happy, because for
so long we've been told what we can’t have, where
we can't go, and what we can't do.”
Conversely, as a professional with a resume
of press features that includes such industry
standards as House Beautiful and Business of
Design, Gail finds that attracting press attention
to her business and projects is no easier in the
current age of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Like Taurean, she has found her access to the
conversation limited by unseen barriers and
unspoken quotas. “I get annoyed that white
people in this industry still pigeonhole us,”
she says. “It’s as if they say, ‘Okay, there's 10
Black designers, but only three of you can get
in.’ There's so many more of us, but they keep
looking in the same places.” And in an industry
that runs largely on visibility and reputation it
can be difficult to advance without a steady diet
of high-profile coverage. “If we're not front and
center,” Gail says, “we just don't get a shot.”
Even the success that Black industry groups
have found in increasing representation in
several leading design publications hasn’t significantly
altered the workings of the industry
because the effects have not been felt equally
throughout the community. “I find it's a challenge
even within organizations that are Black-driven,”
Gail says of gaining high-profile attention. “I
think we have to be kinder to each other and just
not pull from the same three that they pick.”
With their common background as
students of a prestigious interior design school
as a starting point, the experiences that Gail and
Taurean have had from their respective positions
in the design field begin to shed some light on the
complexities of representation and the question
of change. Taurean’s recollections demonstrate
Taurean Jones. Opposite: Furniture designs by Taurean Jones.
the limitations of including more Black people in
the industry, whether as students, professionals,
or panelists, when no additional space is made for
our experiences within the industry or our perspectives
on design. At the same time, Gail highlights
the functional boundaries of increased
media presence, when the additional attention
does not serve to widen the industry’s view of
the diversity already within it. Moreover, even if
executed perfectly, the two together would not
succeed in creating lasting change.
Their experiences point to the fact that
real representation is not only a matter of who
appears on the cover of a magazine or even in
the editor’s chair, but of who owns the magazine.
Likewise, it’s not just a question of who appears in
classrooms to learn or to teach but of who sets the
curricula, who determines the canon, and even
who owns the schools. Without change on those
levels, diversity and representation will never be
more than trends, ushered in and out with the
seasons and at the whim of those who continue
to set the standards at the academic, trade, and
media levels of the industry.
Without space for Blackness as well as Black
people, those who already work in the industry
and those who are preparing to enter into it, will
still do so with the underlying sense that they are
operating alone and at a disadvantage. “What I
need is a community,” Taurean muses, trying to
verbalize what’s missing from his current experience.
“I have mentorship, and the mentor that I
have from ASID is great, but she’s a white woman
with a whole different outlook from mine. So I’m
not seeing people like myself in a bigger way.” Not
just a simple matter of visibility, but of the recognition
that he, in his own person, represents
a meaningful part of the cultural aesthetic that
he is being trained to uphold, Taurean is looking
for viable means to make a positive impact on the
changing world before him. “I don't think design
should be or can be exclusive,” he says. “That idea
can’t hold for the coming future unless we want
things to stay exactly as they are, which is not
really possible.”
Schools like NYSID and the interior design
programs may not be the sole solution to the
problem of representation in the design industry,
or as it extends across the nation, but they’re
a good place to start. As one of the pillars of the
design industry most responsible for setting
and upholding its canon, colleges, universities,
and professional schools are the perfect place
to interrogate the perspectives and rationales
that underlie practices, in the process, creating
spaces where students of diverse backgrounds
can be educated into rather that out of their own
experiences. As noted architectural designer and
former director of the Institute for Continuing
and Professional Studies at NYSID, Leyden Lewis
notes, “The curriculum is key. Who is teaching
and who is being taught is invaluable.” AC
66 aphrochic

68 aphrochic

Food
A Culinary Journey
Kenny Gilbert Adds Global Flavors
to Southern Cooking
Too often we associate the chef’s level of skill with the avant-garde in eating
experiences. Small plates, flamboyantly arrayed with unfamiliar yet delicious
dishes cooked in esoteric ways for people with more money than appetite. Chefs,
to us, aren’t usually people who cook the things we grew up with, they don’t make
the stuff we want when we’re really hungry, and they certainly don’t throw down
on the grill. But then there’s Kenny Gilbert.
Chef Kenny Gilbert is a perfect example of the difference between a cook and a
chef. An aficionado of all things culinary almost from birth, the Cleveland native
was cooking on his own grill by age 7 and single-handedly tackling Thanksgiving
dinner for his entire family by 11. Since then, his career has been an award-heavy
parade of diamonds and stars as he has shown off his abilities at hotels, resorts,
and standalone restaurants around the world, along with an impressive run on
season 7 of Top Chef. Chef Gilbert’s recently released cookbook, Southern Cooking,
Global Flavors, is a trip back through his culinary heritage, expressed through the
lens of his international career. The result is a mouth-watering series of dishes you
love — from ribs and burgers, oxtails and rice to collards, cornbread and seafood
— in ways you’ve never imagined. One of our very favorites, his Coffee-Rubbed
Spareribs with Poblano Apple Slaw, is an experience every meat-eater owes
themselves at least once.
issue fourteen 69

Food
"I worked with a chef from the Big Island of Hawaii many
moons ago. One day on the job, he shared with me a Kona
coffee rub that he grew up eating in Hawaii. He used his coffee
rub on a rack of lamb, and I remember how beautiful the
flavors were. I began to play with it, and instead of using Kona
coffee, I tried it with a Colombian and Costa Rican blend.
I felt like it really lent itself to Spanish flavors, like poblano
peppers, cumin, cinnamon, and coriander. Different cultures
that grow coffee use it in different ways, and cooking with it is
a wonderful way to experience the flavors of those cultures."
— Kenny Gilbert
GET THE BOOK
Recipe reprinted from Southern Cooking Global
Flavors. Copyright © 2023 Kenny Gilbert
Photos © Kristen Penoyer
Published by Rizzoli International Publications Inc.
70 aphrochic

Coffee-Rubbed Spareribs with Poblano Apple Slaw
FOR THE ESPRESSO BBQ SAUCE
Makes 8 Cups
4 cups ketchup
1 cup molasses
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup freshly brewed espresso or coffee
Juice or 2 navel oranges (1 ⁄2 cup)
Juice of 2 lemons (1 ⁄4 cup)
3 tablespoons rib rub
2 tablespoons Chef Kenny’s Raging Cajun
Spice, or other Cajun seasoning
2 tablespoons Chef Kenny’s Fried Chicken
Seasoning, or other poultry seasoning
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
FOR THE SLAW
1 cup sour cream
1 ⁄2 cup agave nectar Juice of 2 or 3 limes
(1 ⁄4 cup)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1 ⁄2 pounds green cabbage, grated (6 cups)
1 ⁄4 large poblano pepper, finely diced (1 ⁄4 cup)
1 ⁄4 red onion, sliced (1 ⁄4 cup)
1 ⁄4 bunch cilantro, chopped (1/4 cup)
1 ⁄4 cup dill pickle relish
1 teaspoon Chef Kenny’s Fried Chicken
Seasoning, or other poultry seasoning
FOR THE RIBS
3 slabs St. Louis–style ribs
1 ⁄2 cup Chef Kenny’s Cinnamon Coffee Rub
3 cups Espresso BBQ Sauce (see above)
FOR THE BUILD
12 flour tortillas
Make the Espresso BBQ Sauce
1. In a medium saucepan over a medium heat, whisk the ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, vinegar, espresso, orange and lemon juice, coffee rub,
chicken seasoning, cumin, salt, and crushed red pepper. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat and set aside until ready to use. (Any leftover sauce can be stored in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 6
months. It can be used as a substitute for any barbecue sauce.)
Make the Ribs
1. Preheat a smoker with charcoal and hickory wood to 275° or 300°F, or preheat an oven to 300°F.
2. Season the ribs on both sides with the coffee rub.
3. Set the ribs on the grate of the smoker, backbone side down, and cook for 11⁄2 to 2 hours, or until the internal temperature is 165°F. Keep the smoker
on. If cooking in the oven, put the ribs on sheet pans lined with foil and cook for 11⁄2 to 2 hours, or until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
Keep the oven on.
4. Transfer each of the slabs to a large sheet of foil, backbone side down. Pour 1 cup of the barbecue sauce over each slab and wrap them in the foil.
5. Return the ribs to the smoker or oven and cook for another 11⁄4 hours, or until they reach an internal temperature of 195°F.
6. Rest the foil-wrapped cooked ribs in a cooler (without ice) for a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of 3 hours before serving.
Make the Slaw
1. Whisk the sour cream, agave nectar, lime juice, and salt in a large bowl.
2. Add the cabbage, poblano, onion, cilantro, pickle relish, and chicken seasoning to the bowl and toss. Set aside until ready to serve
The Build
1. Using a sharp chef’s knife, cut the slabs of ribs into three-rib portions. Be sure to cut close to the bone of the next rib; that way every rib will have
meat on the bone.
2. Heat a large cast-iron skillet on medium-high. Warm the tortillas on each side for 10 to 15 seconds, until lightly charred.
3. Place two griddled tortillas on a plate and top with three ribs. Add a small cup of barbecue sauce and some slaw. Plate the remaining servings, and
serve additional slaw and barbecue sauce alongside.
issue fourteen 71

Entertaining
The Joie of
Fellowship
The importance of fellowship and gathering was instilled in
me early as a Nigerian. The need to entertain with fancy table
settings, many utensils, and intimidating etiquette rules,
however, was not. When I was growing up in Austin, Texas,
every Saturday (after garage sale shopping), we would get
dressed up and meet with other Nigerian families through
a group called African Christian Fellowship (ACF). (I would
have preferred to camouflage myself into the couch and watch
cartoons or run around the neighborhood with friends, but
nope; I had no choice. I had to put on a semi-decent outfit
and head of to the ACF.)
Words by Ajiri Aki
Photos by Jessica Antola
72 aphrochic

issue fourteen 73

Entertaining
The group was created as a way for
Nigerian immigrant families to form a
community and connect while also preserving
their culture of origin with their
American-raised children. We ate, we sang,
we played, we talked, and we drank lots of
sugary drinks. (It doesn’t sound too bad,
does it?) The adults loved coming together
after a long week to spend time with their
friends.
If it was a kid’s birthday, there would
be cake and candy alongside the weekly
aluminum foil–covered vats of fried rice,
jollof rice, goat meat, and stew. If one of the
adults had just graduated from university or
a kid had graduated to middle school, there
would be even more cake. We organized
picnics so we could barbecue and conferences
to connect with other chapters of ACF
for more dancing, singing, and food. On
Sundays after church, we sometimes met
up with other friends, both Nigerian and
non-Nigerian, for more music and food.
Essentially, Nigerians notoriously
love gatherings, and from the time I started
forming memories, they put truth to the
words of the early twentieth-century textile
designer William Morris, “Fellowship is life.”
When I moved to New York in my 20s,
after my undergrad years in Texas, I found
another group that valued fellowship:
Mexican girls who had grown up together in
Juarez and El Paso. Mexican culture is very
similar to Nigerian culture in that we both
really love finding excuses to celebrate with
one another in a big way. Mexican weddings
and Nigerian weddings are usually giant, full
of extended family, and party crashers are
welcomed.
I’d meet with this group of friends
every Thursday for juevecitos, which translates
literally to “the little Thursdays.” Every
week, we’d gather at a different girl’s house
to have drinks, eat, and catch up. We were
loud, and 99% of the time, the night ended in
dancing and informal karaoke with no microphones.
The weekly host was in charge
of laying out a buffet of food, but sometimes
we’d all pitch in by bringing a dish, or we’d
order in tamales or tacos. Over the course
of ten years, our group grew to 30-plus girls
and two guys. When someone moved to New
York from Mexico for an internship or a new
job, a friend of a friend would connect them
to us, and they’d join the juevecitos. We even
used an Excel spreadsheet to organize our
gatherings.
GET THE BOOK
Reprinted from Joie. Copyright © 2023 Ajiri Aki
Photograph copyright © 2023 by Jessica Antola.
Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of
Random House.
Since living among the French, I have
learned that they share this same love of
gathering. To the French aussi, fellowship is
life. Coming together brings them joy, but it
is also necessary for strengthening relationships
among family and friends, connecting
generations, and building communities.
I daresay it’s absolutely one of the most intriguing
and important elements we can
learn from French culture.
The French gather regularly. They
rarely skip lunch. They often spend dinner
during the week with their family around
the table. On the weekends, meals are notoriously
long. Oftentimes, apéros will extend
into apéro-dinatoires. Even when the
French go on strike or protest — whether the
issue is women’s rights or proposed changes
to the retirement age — it somehow turns
into parades with music and drinks.
So, my life here in France has nourished
that love of gathering that was instilled in
me thanks to my Nigerian heritage and my
induction into Mexican culture. In many
ways, it has helped encourage and ritualize
gathering for me. It is part of my daily life
now, and my raison d’être.
Here, I’ve been allowed to figure out
my own entertaining style, one that feels
less intimidating yet incredibly inspiring.
The French introduced me to l’art de la table,
something I never experienced during those
childhood gatherings, which featured paper
plates, Tupperware, and tin foil. Through
the French, I have been exposed to a whole
new set of tricks and tools to elevate and
enhance everyday gatherings.
When I was fresh off my Air France
flight from New York, my approach to entertaining
consisted of trying to be the “hostess
with the mostest” and home chef extraordinaire.
I had no friends, so I reverted to what
I knew: trying to find a community and fellowship.
As it was for my mother, inviting
people into my home was a way to connect.
But trying to be perfect made it messy. At
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countless dinners or gatherings, I spent half my time mired in details that
didn’t matter—like the Noah’s Ark–themed birthday party I planned for my
daughter, when I stayed up until four p.m. making tiny birthday hats for one
hundred little plastic toy animals.
Or the many dinners that I served at 10 p.m., which wouldn’t have been
a big deal in France, except that I had asked my guests to arrive three hours
earlier, and I spent all those hours in the kitchen.
It took me a while — and a French friend asking why in the world I was
going to such trouble — to learn what most French people already know: The
purpose of entertaining is to bring together one’s friends or family and spend
time with them. Focus on the purpose: It should be a pleasure, not a pressure.
The French keep their meals pretty simple, eat them sitting around a table,
and stay at that table for a long time. Leave the fancy food for nights out at
restaurants — especially if cooking is preventing you from being part of the
evening’s festivities—and keep the intention on spending time with your
guests.
Stock your shelves with dishes and bowls and platters you love and
will actually use, so that no matter what you put down on the table, it will
look beautiful and you will find joy in that moment. Sit with your guests, look
around at these people you’ve invited into your home, take in the sound of the
clinking glasses and plates, and you will truly feel you are living the good life.
I do every single time.
Inspired by the words of Dr. Maya Angelou, I now focus on how people
feel when they come to my house. As long as everyone feels welcome and
enjoys themselves, I am happy to be the perfectly imperfect hostess. I am not
a follower of strict rituals that make people feel excluded because they didn’t
attend any Madame Bougie’s Etiquette School, because I sure didn’t. Keep the
focus on gathering and elevating the experience with beautiful objects. AC
issue fourteen 77

Panama's
Rich History

City Stories
Exploring The Rich History and Culture
of Casco Viejo
Strolling down the narrow cobblestone streets of Casco Viejo, Panama
offers a unique experience that is the juxtaposition of setting foot in a city
that exudes contemporary cuisine and culture while taking a step back in
time where every street, alleyway and building tells a story of the city’s rich
history. The story of Casco Viejo begins in 1673 after the destruction of the
original city of Panama Viejo by pirate Henry Morgan, a Welsh buccaneer
and privateer who participated in the Transatlantic Slave Trade; transporting
enslaved Africans on his ships and selling them in the Caribbean.
Words and photos by Krystle DeSantos
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City Stories

City Stories
Originating mainly from West Africa, enslaved Africans
were brought to this historic district of Panama City to work on
plantations, in mines, as domestic servants, and in construction.
Though they worked under cruel and inhumane conditions,
their indomitable spirits could not be broken. They
showed incredible courage and resilience by resisting enslavement
though various methods including escape from plantations
and the formation of a rebel Maroon community that
would eventually raid plantations and free other enslaved
Africans.
In 1552, the Bayano revolt, one of the largest against the
Spanish colonial rule, began and lasted for several years. This
revolt eventually forced the Spanish to negotiate a peace treaty,
and is considered one of the first successful slave revolts in the
Americas; playing a role in the eventual abolition of slavery
which occurred in 1851.
Afro-Panamanians who settled in Casco Viejo after
abolition continued to resist the adverse impact of slavery
through their vibrant culture; maintaining their religious
practices, languages, music, dance, and finding ways to
develop their own communities. They played a vital role in the
development of Panama’s economy and society, and visiting
the stunning old city allows you to experience this rich culture.
Where to Stay
Central Hotel Panama
Built almost 150 years ago and opened in 1847, Central
Hotel was the first hotel in Panama and is a designated World
Heritage Site, recognized by UNESCO for its architectural
significance. Central Hotel boasts beautiful views of the old
and new city from its stunning rooftop and includes complimentary
breakfast with your stay. There is also a small rooftop
pool area and if you go early in the morning you’re guaranteed a
spot at one of the lounge chairs.
Where to Eat
El Caribe
An Afro-Caribbean restaurant with mouth-watering
local dishes and drinks. Try the run-down and passionfruit
mojito. If you like it spicy, ask for house-made pepper sauce.
Diablicos
A must visit restaurant serving traditional Panamanian
cuisine and offering a live cultural presentation of folk song and
dance that allows you to become part of the show. You play a
small non-spoken part in a live skit and dance the devil's dance,
which is symbolic and utilized to remember the slave rebellion
against the Spanish.
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City Stories
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City Stories
Roadster's Diner
A retro–style diner that transports you back to the 1950s. Sip on a Nutella milkshake,
rockabilly style!
CascaCasco
A fun multi-level restaurant with a club and rooftop lounge. Grab dinner on the first
restaurant level, then make your way to the rooftop for a nightcap and spectacular views of
the city.
American Trade Hotel
A stunning boho-tropical hotel in the heart of Casco Viejo with an American-influenced
menu and the best bottomless brunch featuring the most delicious passionfruit mimosas.
GranClement
A local gelato and sorbet shop with unique flavors. Try the basil sorbet, it’s sure to
surprise you in a very good way!
What to See
Casa Góngora
Visit this vibrant cultural center that was built in 1756 and is one of the oldest houses in
Panama where you can experience a variety of art exhibits and free jazz concerts.
Miraflores Visitor Center/Panama Canal
Located just outside Panama City, this visitor center is the easiest way to see the
Panama Canal. Visit this four-floor interactive museum to learn more about the canal's
history, operations, expansion, and ecology, then head out to the observation deck to watch
the ships transit through the Canal Locks.
Tour Casco Viejo by foot
A stroll around the cobblestone city streets will lead you on an adventure. You will
encounter many colorful street-art murals and can visit several historical sites and ruins
including Iglesia Santo Domingo/Arco Chato, Iglesia San Francisco de Asis, The Panama
Canal Museum, History Museum of Panama, Casa Museo Endara, Plaza/ Parque Bolivar,
Plaza Herrera, Plaza de la Independencia, Plaza de Santa Ana, Iglesia de la Compania de
Jesus, Iglesia de San Jose and the National Theater. If you’re looking for a more guided experience,
the official office of Casco Viejo (La Oficina del Casco Antiguo) offers guided tours
through this historical part of Panama on Fridays or Saturdays.
Biomuseo
The museum focuses on the natural history of Panama with 8 unique galleries as well
as a stunning Biodiversity Park.
Esteban Huertas Promenade
Built atop the old city's outer wall and shaded by a bougainvillea canopy this historical
site is also a shopping area where you can buy souvenirs and handicrafts made by local
artisans. I was able to commission a local artist named Manolo Robinson to paint custom
Panama hats with scenery of macaws and bougainvillea on them. Ask for him if you ever
visit!
Canal Zone Antiques
An antiques shop offering a host of treasures, including art, furniture and decorative
objects.
A Few Quick Tips Before You Go
1. Uber is readily available and easy to use in Panama City however, most places in Casco Viejo
are typically within walking distance of your hotel and easy to get to. Just be sure to map it out!
2. Most museums in Casco Viejo are closed on Mondays, so plan ahead if you want to visit
specific ones.
3. Watch my Casco Viejo, Panama City travel diary for more inspiration! AC
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City Stories
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City Stories
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THE AMUR
SCONCE
W A Y F A I R . C O M

Wellness
A Home Within Ourselves
Somatic Embodied Practices
with Dr. Kimya Jackson
Mind and body. For thousands of years, western
schools of thought in philosophy and medicine have
approached them as two distinct and separate entities,
though our lives and the quality of them can depend
crucially on the strength of their connection. Though
often unseen and unconsidered, this core element of
our thinking has resonances across many of our most
closely held perspectives, influencing the ways in
which we approach our lives, our activities and even
our own selves. And as the relentless pace at which
we are expected to navigate the turmoil of our world
offers little space to acknowledge, accept, grieve, or
heal, many of us are left to experience the loneliness,
disassociation and cognitive dissonance that come
from feeling displaced in our own skin.
Interview by Bryan Mason and Jeanine Hays
Photos by Shannon Brooks
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Wellness
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Multi-hyphenate creative and academic,
Dr. Kimya Jackson, is intimately familiar with
the mind-body disconnect in our thinking, and
the effects it can have on our lives. For years it
had her approaching herself from two different
angles: creative and academic; dancer and
scientist; mind and body as two. After years
of trying to choose between her two sides, the
decision to allow herself to sink deeper into
both simultaneously has brought Kimya to a
new point of unity within herself, and synthesis
between the two.
The result of her journey, BodyWitAnd-
Wisdom, is a gift that she’s determined to share
with as many of us as can benefit from establishing
a firmer, healthier relationship between
our consciousness and our corporeal forms.
Kimya is a body movement-tactile strategist
who creates, teaches and facilitates one-on-one
sessions and group experiences that emphasize
embodied practices found both inside and
outside the traditional categories. Tapping,
humming, meditation and other collectively-termed
“somatic” practices, many with roots
in our own African Diaspora heritages, all find
homes as part of the toolkit she uses to bring us
into closer experience of ourselves.
We sat down with Kimya to learn more
about her journey, her practice, and the benefits
of finding home in our own bodies.
AC: You have a PhD in psychology and an
extensive dance background, which path
started for you first?
KJ: Definitely, the dance path started for
me first. My mother felt that Black girls should
be in dance; that’s just something that she
believes in. She noticed that I was watching,
Fame on TV, so she put me in the first dance
class she could get me in. But psychology didn’t
start that much later. Both of my parents have
PhDs. My mom's PhD is in Educational Psychology
with a concentration on how Black children
learn in their church environments versus a K
through 12 system. And my dad's PhD is in Experimental
Psychology with a focus on Entomology
— studying insects. So I spent a lot of
time interacting with academics. It was also
informed by the fact that I spent a lot of time
with my father's family in Chicago. Quite a few of
them were ministers who also had backgrounds
in psychology. So we would have interesting discussions
about the ways people are and how
they can be. So I think it was the combination
of being surrounded by academics, interacting
with my parents, my late grandfather and
just really always being curious about people's
thoughts and behaviors. It all just kind of moved
me in that direction.
AC: After so much interaction, what were
you looking for in psychology? What was
your focus in school?
KJ: After I finished Spelman, it came to me
that adult psychology is really vast, and I found
myself asking, What does that really mean? My
parents were finishing up their dissertations
when they had me, so I spent a lot of time with
family, those who would be considered elders
— they would call themselves seasoned. Because
I spent so much time with seasoned individuals,
I realized that I wanted to study psychology
with a focus on gerontology — older adults.
At the time I was thinking, I want to live long like
they do. And I wondered what it is that they have
in the ways that they see themselves; how do
they reframe situations; because it’s what I want
to do. So I ended up attending Penn State for a
PhD in Bio-Behavioral Health. Bio-Behavioral
Health was created at Penn State as a way for
Social Sciences scientists, those in psychology,
sociology, anthropology, and natural sciences
— biology, chemistry, etc. — to be able to sit in
the same room and speak the same language.
Penn State is also known for its Gerontology
program. So my area of focus in the program
was older adults, between the seasoned ages of
70 and 90, living in urban settings — particularly
in high rises in Baltimore. They were dealing
with depression or depressive symptomatology,
physical limitations, lower body things, difficulty
walking and things like that. I looked particularly
at the role of religiosity to understand what
were the things that kept people going with all
those things going on in their lives.
AC: What were some of your creative outlets
during that time?
KJ: In elementary school, it was a mixture
of dance and chorus, so singing. I wanted to
learn an instrument early on, but the instrument
faded away. After that it was still dance,
still chorus, some acting. And then in high
school chorus and dance held on tight. Eventually
it was just dance because it required a lot
more time and energy. God bless my mom for
taking me back and forth to classes multiple
times a week and the weekend and rehearsals.
I’ve studied ballet, jazz, modern and postmodern,
Graham, Horton, some Lamone and West
African dance. I tried tap, and I am a polyrhythmic
person, but it just never caught on, maybe
I'll try it again someday. I hadn't articulated or
thought about it in this way at the time, but the
way that I had to be in my body fueled everything
else in my life. So I spent a lot of time performing.
Now as an adult, it's been a mixture of
performance, choreography, and creating work
with other people.
AC: At this point, do you think of yourself more
as a dancer who does psychology or as a psychologist
that dances? Or are they equal?
KJ: I think at this point they're equal
together. For a long time, I was trying to
figure out what started first; which was more
important; was there a hierarchy? Now, it's a
blend. Not a perfect blend, but a blend nevertheless.
AC: Did you come across the concept of dance
therapy as you were going through school? Or
did what you do come from the separate poles
of your life coming together organically?
KJ: I’d heard about dance therapy and had
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Wellness
experienced it as well. But in addition to the the
psychology and the dance, there's another side
I started to dive into in terms of holistic health
as well. That’s included yoga, Reiki, and other
forms of somatic movement or energy healing.
I received my 200-hour certification in yoga and
was teaching for a little while before moving into
teaching meditation. I’m also beginning my level
3 certification in Reiki and will be starting to
teach that soon as well. I think it was the holistic
practices that ended up building the bridge
between dance and psychology for me. And it’s
that kind of wide ranging, holistic practice that I
bring to my clients now.
AC: How did this new interest become a
practice that you share with others?
KJ: As holistic practices moved into my
dance life, it led me to thinking about the kind
of moving I was doing and wondering about approaches
to somatic movement. For example,
if you say that you're dancing towards the sun,
or you're in the sun, it's going to affect your
movement. And I began experimenting with
different ways of offering things. So I did A Love
Supreme meditation with John Coltrane in the
background. BodyWitAndWisdom came out of
doing these workshops over the years, seeing
how people came in and how they left, and
then talking to people who would come and say
things like: I feel really out of sorts. What are small
ways that I can enter and be more comfortable and
present in my body?
AC: What is working with you like? Does it
require training or ability?
KJ: I like to do one-on-ones. I find it
helps to really figure out what the multiple
possibilities are for each person. First off,
we kind of work with things that you may
be carrying around — without judgment —
and talk through them to open up space for
some things that would work for you in the
season that you're in, with the people you may
have to take care of, with where you are with
your body. Through that we can figure out a
longer trajectory for you, developing a kind of
grab-bag of practices that you can work with,
alter and change. For instance, if you’ve been
looking at the computer screen for too long,
you might take five minutes to close your eyes
and move them counterclockwise. Tapping on
parts of your body to bring them to the front
of your consciousness, intentionally slowing
down with your everyday tasks, really paying
attention to them, from the actual gesture to
the internal movements that accompany them.
The practices don't have to look like traditional
dance movements. It could be touching a place
on your heart and letting the rhythm move
through you, humming, or even establishing a
regular laughing or crying practice depending
on what you need.
AC: Historically, there are a number of ways
in which Black people have experienced
embodied practices like deep listening,
humming, spontaneous movement, rocking and
dance — often in church. Yet dance and somatic
therapies are generally represented as being
a-cultural. Do we risk losing sight of something
in ourselves if we begin to define practices that
have been part of our cultures for generations
through scientific perspectives that crucially
define themselves as not-Black and therefore
not ours?
KJ: People have definitely started talking
about that outside of dance therapy. They know
that it falls outside of dance therapy, but the
“somatic” is a little bit more broad of a term. It
honors and does not diminish the shouting, the
dancing, the humming, the clapping of hands,
because they all have value. But even in the
somatic movement there's conversations about
that. People are saying that they’ve defined
the official way of approaching something, but
they’ve pulled from Black culture, from the
African Diaspora — and other places — but they
haven’t given credit for it because it's been commodified
in other ways. So there are those who
have considered encultured somatic practices
for Black people, somatic practices for revolutionaries.
There are people saying, no, we have
to honor what has helped us with Black liberation
and continue to generate what that can look
like, because Black people are still evolving and
our need for liberation has not been met. So in
turn, those practices will have to keep evolving
as the world is changing, and as we are evolving
as well.
AC: What specific benefits do you feel like that
having more intentional embodiment practices
can have for us as a people?
KJ: There are numerous stories about how
Black liberation has happened and continues to
happen. I was just reading about how Harriet
Tubman, for instance, was guided by an inner
knowing, which I think required, even though
there were different words for it, embodied
practice to be able to listen, to be able to hear.
So I think as Black people, it is important to have
those embodied practices to be able to hear and
continue to see beyond, in all the ways that have
brought us to this point, and which will bring us
to the next point. And we need to be as healthy as
we can be. And I think health is a huge spectrum
that includes being able to cultivate a sense of
safety in our own bodies, so that we can carry
that safety of home in our bodies, into whatever
is going on outside. Because we may have hours
away from that safe space of home. So embodied
practice is another way to create that internal
home space. AC
Visit BodyWitAndWisdom.com to book a one-onone
or group experience.
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SOUNDS
A Journey Through Sound: Thavius Beck
from Rapper to Producer to Professor
Music is sound woven into narrative. For Thavius Beck, a story that
started in Minneapolis, led him to California and into the Golden age of
Los Angeles’ underground Hip-Hop culture through legendary venues
like The Good Life, Project Blowed, and Low End Theory. Emerging as
a respected producer, emcee and electronic music performer, Thavius
continued to walk the road laid out for him by his creativity, following it
to Brooklyn and a new role as a teacher, now professor at the prestigious
Berklee NYC campus. In honor of the release of his latest album, Untitled,
Volume 1, we invited Thavius to reflect on his journey through music,
the similarities between electronic composition and time travel, and
the beauties of creating when there’s nothing left to prove.
Words by Bryan Mason
Photos by Monifa Perry
Untitled, Volume 1
Cosmic Noise
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AC: Where are you from originally? And what is the first
home you remember?
TB: I was born in Minneapolis, Minn. But I was very
close to being born in New Orleans, from what I understand.
But we were only in Minneapolis for I think, a
month before we ended up moving to Richmond, California.
So the first home that I remember was in Richmond,
California. From there we went back to Minneapolis when
I was like six-and-a-half, almost seven, and was there
until 16. And then that's when I ended up going to LA.
And I was out in LA for 20 years. The whole story is I did
something stupid. I took my mom's car to take my friend
home. And she found out and I got grounded for several
months. And then in the middle of the school year, she
threw me out and she sent me to go live with my dad in LA.
So this was in ’96, like four years removed from the riots.
And my dad lived on West Boulevard, near Adams, which
was basically like, right near Crenshaw, in the midst of
where a lot of stuff went down. I wasn't that far removed
from that. It was a Crip neighborhood, and there's an
area called “The Jungle,” which is like a notorious Blood
neighborhood, and I lived not too far from there. So it was
like, “I gotta learn how to navigate this stuff because I got
homies who have friends in these different areas — and
I'm not affiliated with any of it.” It was an eye-opening experience
for sure. I was out in LA for 20 years, and then
came to Brooklyn.
AC: Music was already a big part of your life in Minneapolis.
How did it become even bigger in California?
TB: It was essentially fate. I got to South Central
LA, and on the same exact block — down the street from
where my dad's apartment was — were a group of people
that ended up forming the music collective Global Phlowtations.
It was essentially 10 emcees and four of us were
producers. I was the main person making the beats. I also
rhymed and recorded people. And we just kind of recognized
each other. I didn't look like a gangbanger and I
didn't look like some dude who should be robbed. I just
looked like a young kid with dreads who probably did
some creative shit or sold weed. So they recognized me,
and they kind of took me in. It was cool, because I was
the youngest one out of the whole crew. I was 16. I could
have been on any other block and had a whole different
situation. So I'm grateful that that's how it worked out.
AC: The '90s Hip-Hop scene in LA is legendary, both for
its artists and its venues like The Good Life. What was it
like as a young musician growing up in that environment?
What did Hip-Hop mean to you at that time?
TB: Coming to LA at that point, and being into all this
stuff, the whole thing was being able to have people that
were into stuff I was into, without it being about school
and classes. So school was basically, “Go to the club and
work on a beat, so and so is going to write some raps, and
you're going to record it. And we're going to try to put
this together on a four track, cassette, and you only have
one track to record all these vocals with and you got to do
overdubs.” There were all these puzzles that I had to figure
out. And the result is that we were creating something that
didn't exist before. It was exciting to be around so many
creative people.
I met a legendary underground LA rapper named,
Otherwise, one of the first people that I remember
meeting. He told me about The Good Life. I went and met
some people there who told me about Project Blowed.
And that's where I started going, pretty much every
Thursday, with my crew. We’d go and battle people all day,
playing beats while people are freestyling and whatnot.
I just became enmeshed in the culture. It was dope,
because I got really embraced, which could have easily
not happened because it was extremely competitive and
people were quick to tell you if they didn't like what you
did. So I was fortunate enough to be seen as worthy.
AC: Were you known more for coming in and getting
on the mic at that point, or for the beats that you would
bring in? Or was it pretty equal between the two?
TB: People knew me for rhyming. There’s a film
called, Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme, and I was on the
original cover of it. Mos Def and a bunch of people are on
it and it's filmed around the same time, in the late '90s.
There's a bonus section where they got me freestyling in
there. I would battle people all the time, because that was
part of what our crew was about. We were known as some
as the dopest emcees around Project Blowed. But my
main thing was that I wanted not to be seen as just that.
So I focused a lot on producing. I really enjoyed making
beats. And I felt like there was more longevity in being the
person who was making the music as opposed to being
the person who always had to rap onstage.
AC: Was that when your transition into DJing and electronic
music came about?
TB: Not so much DJing but doing a lot more live electronic
music performances. My thought process was that
I should try to do more than rhyme, because I had more
talent and skills than just that. The first solo project I put
out was a 10-song EP called, Versus and the whole idea
was me as a rapper versus me as a producer. There were
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a lot of producers who were making instrumental music
albums. There was a pretty decent market for that because
a lot of companies were licensing it for commercials. It
was just kind of the thing to do at the time.
I signed with this label called Mush Records and
started doing more instrumental. Performing live became
a big thing. One of the main things I would use for performances
is Ableton Live. It had a MIDI controller I could
carry away from the computer, making it feel more like an
instrument. That makes it really clear that when I'm doing
something, triggering samples in real time — playing with
effects in real time — that I’m making the music instead
of playing it. That became a big part of the growing scene
in LA, and in the early 2000s there was a club called Low
End Theory that was a huge part of fostering the development
of electronic music in the city. I played at that club,
probably, 10 or 12 times.
AC: What are some of the messages or perspectives, if
any, that you're trying to get across to people with your
music?
TB: A big part of where the electronic music comes
from is the idea of being able to create sounds that don't
naturally exist and being able to manipulate sounds in a
way that you couldn't otherwise. That's really the root
of it. And that's with Hip-Hop, techno, trance or R&B.
When you can take a drum beat, chop it up, rearrange
the rhythm — you're basically like a time traveler. You've
reversed the order of events that happened in time and
space. That's a lot of power. People don't necessarily think
of it that way, but to me, that's how I look at it. It gives you
the ability to create something that didn't exist in ways
that don't naturally exist, and it's fun to experiment and
play in that sandbox. My biggest reoccurring theme is,
“Don't be afraid to think for yourself. Don't be afraid to
express yourself. Don't be afraid to stand out.” Because
eventually, that might be the reason why everyone comes
and flocks to you. And even if they don't, at least you're
true to yourself.
ACM: Growing up in the scene and then the industry,
moving from performer and producer, now to professor
at the Berklee NYC campus, what has that process and
transition been like?
TB: I never intended to become a teacher. I was really
fortunate to fall into teaching very much by accident. I had
some really good people steer me in the right direction
and mentor me. I became an Ableton certified trainer in
2008, then started doing free workshops in downtown LA
that were open to the public. I went from that to teaching
at a school called Dubspot, which was really popular for
electronic music education online and ended up voicing
the bumper at the end of the ads for the Dubspot videos.
So anytime you watched a Dubspot tutorial, you heard
my voice as like “the” voice of Ableton Live and I ended up
being known as the Ableton guy.
Once I moved to New York, I picked up teaching
gigs at smaller, independent schools because I didn't
have anything solidified here. One of my old friends from
Dubspot — basically the person who really taught me how
to teach — was the assistant chair of the electronic production
department at Berklee School of Music in Boston.
When the pandemic started, they needed people who
could teach online. And I’d already had a decade of experience
doing content online — way more than anybody
else. At the same time, Berklee NYC was opening a campus
for a graduate program, and that's where I'm currently
at now. Every week I go into Manhattan and teach people
about making cool sounds.
AC: What inspires your music now? Where did your
latest album, Untitled, Volume 1, come from?
TB: I did a record called Leo after my mom passed. It
was seven days before my birthday and I had a burst of inspiration.
I hadn't written anything in years at that point,
then seven days later I had a finished project. I just needed
to get it out. I had a lot of pent up emotion I was dealing
with. Since then I’m trying to make it a tradition. I'll just
put out something on my birthday if nothing else. I put out
a project this past year called, Untitled, Volume 1, which is
all instrumental. It’s a bit different because there's a lot
of different directions I want to explore. It's kind of a way
to prep people who've listened to my stuff from years and
years ago for the fact that I want to do some stuff that's a
little bit different.
I've arrived at a pretty cool place in my life. I had a
self-diagnosed midlife crisis when I hit 40, just trying
to figure out, “Okay, what am I doing?” I got to the point
where I've learned to appreciate the fact that everything
I've done as a creative and an artist, and someone
without even a high school diploma, has given me the
life experience to allow me to be a credible professor
in one of the most respected institutions in the world.
Being in that position means that I'm encouraged to keep
creating, but I don't have to do it to pay rent. I'm in a very
different place where I've never been. I’m not in this
competitive thing where I have to keep up with people
in order to maintain this expectation of whatever —
which was a big part of being in LA. I don't have anything
to prove to anybody. I do music because I want to, and
I’d do it even if nobody heard it. I make music all the
time. AC
issue fourteen 107

PINPOINT
Artists & Artisans | Hot Topic | Who Are You

ARTISTS & ARTISANS
Gary Tyler: An Artist’s Journey to Freedom
It was October 7, 1974 and Gary Tyler was just 16 years old, a student
at Destrehan High School in Louisiana. The previously whites-only
high school was integrating, bussing Black students in from their
communities to attend classes. Though Gary was riding the bus some
twenty years after the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case
found segregation in schools to be unconstitutional, he nevertheless
rode into a maelstrom of white residents around the school engaged
in hate-filled mob violence. Such riots had become common, acts of
domestic terror taking place across the nation to intimidate Black
students who exercised their constitutional rights to attend integrated
institutions seeking equal education.
On this day, the school would be forced to
close early by the uncontrolled rampage of a mob
determined to terrorize and harm these children.
In an attempt to appease the crowd, Tyler and
his fellow Black schoolmates were put on a bus.
It was supposed take them home. But before they
could leave, a crowd of hundreds — mainly white
students — descended upon the vehicle. In the
chaos that followed, a 13-year-old white boy would
be fatally shot, and Gary Tyler’s life would change
forever.
Despite the clear threat to the lives of the
students on the bus, Tyler and his classmates were
not returned to the safety of their neighborhoods,
but delivered to the local police station. Though
witnesses had already stated that the shots fired
came from outside the bus, the information did
not prevent the police from interrogating the
Black youths, placing them under extreme duress.
Tyler bravely spoke up to an officer about the
unfair treatment. His reward was a severe beating
by officers who attempted to force him into confessing
to pulling the trigger. Through the abuse,
the sixteen-year-old stood strong, refusing to
confess to a murder he did not commit.
Though fraudulent, the case gained attention,
quickly becoming a lightning rod for white supremacist
groups and other anti-Black propagandists
in the area. Eventually, David Duke, then an
emerging leader in the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi
movements, arrived in Destrehan. Under the thin
but unquestioned guise of providing protection
for local white residents, Duke moved a number
of “security teams” into position throughout the
community, driving the clamor to see a Black
person pay for this white teenagers death to a
fever pitch. Tyler, a teenager, was charged as an
adult with first-degree murder, suggesting that
Words by Jeanine Hays
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ARTISTS & ARTISANS
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the killing was not only intentional, but premeditated. Unhindered
by the lack of clear motive, means, or opportunity for the
crime, the lynching was already in process, Gary Tyler’s fate
already decided.
A Youth Put On Trial
The trial was a farce held in a kangaroo court. Charged as
an adult despite his years, Tyler faced death by electrocution
under Louisiana law if found guilty of first-degree-murder. His
trial was conducted in front of an all-white jury. His court-appointed
lawyer — who had never handled a murder case — had
no idea how to argue or win a death penalty trial.
The evidence against Tyler was shoddy. A witness testified
that she saw Tyler pull a gun from a slit in the seat on the bus.
Decades later she would recant the story. But supporting
her at the trial, police produced a gun they claimed had been
recovered at the scene following several sweeps of the bus. It
would later be revealed that the gun had been stolen from the
sheriff’s department firing range.
Despite a host of inconsistencies, perjured testimonies and
falsified evidence, the jury found Tyler guilty of murder in the
first degree. At 17 he was taken to the Louisiana State Penitentiary
in Angola, the nation’s largest prison complex, where he
had the distinction of being the youngest inmate on death row.
For the next 41 years his life would be a web of appeals, court
rulings and trials, including at the Supreme Court. Through
it all, he would survive hell on earth at Angola, a prison larger
than the island of Manhattan, holding over 6,000 inmates on 28
square miles of what was formerly the Angola Plantation — the
amalgamated land holdings of Issac Franklin, once the owner of
America’s largest slave trading firm.
Life At Angola
At the end of Louisiana Highway Route 66 lies a place out of
time. A celebrated vestige of the Old South and its “Lost Cause,”
Angola is part city, part slave plantation and part fortress. Its
more than 18,000 acres is surrounded by lakes and rivers on
three sides, hosting a “gated community” of over 6,300 inmates.
Seventy-six percent of the inmates are Black, and the average
stay at the institution lasts for 59-years. The prison land is
populated by 1,800 staff — referred to as “freemen” — who
work as corrections officers, janitors, maintenance staff and
wardens. For another 600 “free people,” as the prison refers
to the families of its employees, Angola is home. The prison
provides essential workers and their families with housing, recreation
centers, pools and parks.
Buildings from the 1830s still stand, remnants of the
original plantation, bearing silent witness to all that has not
changed on the land over the long years of its mostly nominal
transition from slave plantation to prison. When those
buildings were new, they belonged to Isaac Franklin, co-owner
of the slave trading firm Franklin & Armfield. A massively profitable
endeavor, the firm sold as many as 2,000 people a year
before gradually dissolving in 1836. Franklin invested much
of his wealth into his personal holdings in land and enslaved
people, many of whom he kept on his property in Louisiana. He
called the plantation, Angola, naming it for the African nation
which had been a mainstay of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and
from which many of the enslaved originated. In 1869, Samuel
Lawrence James, a confederate major, received a military
lease to the land, using enslaved Africans to produce cotton.
Like many others, James would run his vast plantation using
convicts leased from the state as workers. Many of the inmates
were victims of Louisiana laws directed at interning African
Americans, placing people in prison over minor fees and infractions
to work the land. There was little state oversight over
the plantation and prisoners were often worked to death under
extremely harsh and cruel conditions.
Today, new inmates are first put to work in those same
cotton fields. After working the cotton, they can move up to
farming work, cultivating cabbage, corn, strawberries, okra,
soybeans, wheat and sugarcane. They raise cattle for sale, as
well as breeding and training horses for the prison’s rodeo.
Prisoner’s labor, and the fruits of it, are leased out and sold to
some of our nation’s largest food corporations. Imprisoned
laborers likely provided the mozzarella for your next Domino’s
pizza or raised cattle for the Wagyu steak you’ll find on the
shelves at Balducci’s. At Angola in particular, the vegetables that
the prisoners grow and the livestock that they raise are part of a
prison to grocery store pipeline managed by Louisiana’s Prison
Enterprises. And while this organization and others make
millions from prisoner labor at Angola and elsewhere, inmates
make pennies — just enough to avoid labeling the process as
slavery.
Rhetorical games aside, the operations and perspectives of
this modern day prison are eerily similar to those of slavery in
the 1800s. “Freeman” direct the work and dominate the lives of
prisoners, who work to add to luxury and comfort to the lives of
white overseers. Beyond their agricultural duties, prisoners —
unfailingly referred to as “Boy,” by “freemen” overseers at the
all-male prison — are further tasked with working the prison’s
popular rodeo and constructing buildings and leisure spaces on
the grounds for “free people” and the public. Among these are
the 6,000 yard Prison View Golf Course, completed in 2004, and
available, by appointment, to the public. Other forced construction
projects include the Ranch House, a clubhouse constructed
for wardens and officials to enjoy meals cooked and served by
the imprisoned.
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ARTISTS & ARTISANS

The prison has long been known for its violence and extreme cruelty. Most recently,
children as young as 14, interned at the massive facility, reported being confined to cells
for days at a time, showering in leg shackles and handcuffs, denied access to air conditioning
in hot cells, and abuse by the guards. Many were the same age that Gary Tyler
had been when he first entered Angola, at a time when even worse abuses were far more
common and far less likely to be reported, due to the overwhelming lack of oversight
over the institution.
An Indomitable Spirit
During his 41-year incarceration at Angola, Gary Tyler never gave up his quest
for freedom. For decades he filed appeals, and though there was never a case against
him, time and again he was denied by a system that spitefully refused to admit that he
should never have been accused much less convicted. Through his sufferings, Tyler
found freedom and release through art. For 28 years he was president of the Angola
Prison drama club, worked to increase literacy for inmates, and learned to sew when he
joined the Angola Prison Hospice Program. With his sewing skills, he would make quilts
featuring butterflies, flowers and brightly colored abstractions, all expressions of an
inner life and spirit that the injustice of his conviction and the cruelty of his incarceration
could not touch.
While his trial drew the attention of white supremacists across the nation, Gary
Tyler’s incarceration became a rallying point for the Black community as well. His case
was amplified by human rights organizations, columnists, and civil rights leaders such
as Rosa Parks. In 2016, the Louisiana Supreme Court and the St. Charles Parish district
attorney’s office agreed to vacate Tyler’s first-degree murder conviction. The final insult
to justice was that the agreement required Tyler to enter a guilty plea to manslaughter,
a lesser charge carrying a shorter sentence. Tyler agreed and the judge reduced
his sentence to 21 years. Though he was being sentenced again for a crime he did not
commit, he had now served nearly double his sentence. As a result, Gary Tyler was finally
released from Angola prison on April 29, 2016.
This year, seven years after his release, Tyler just has completed his first solo show,
Gary Tyler: We are The Willing at Library Street Collective in Detroit. The pieces were
notably different from the nature themes of the pieces he created while incarcerated.
Quilts featured a series of portraits documenting his time in Angola. Tyler sourced
images that were taken of him and widely circulated to mass media in protests calling
for his release, utilized CCTV surveillance imagery from his cell and press photographs
taken during pivotal moments in his longtime legal case. The new body of work includes
self-portraits of him after his initial arrest, working alongside friends, and images of
himself in his cell during his 41-year stay.
As a rule, art is hard to define. It can speak to the full range of human experience,
in part or in whole, it can cause us to stop, to reflect, and when it — and we — are at our
best, to change. Gary Tyler’s art is a moment for reflection and pause. Through time and
space, it pulls together, across a span of centuries, memories of a nation defined by its
commitment to its own inhumanity and the profits garnered from the enslavement of
its fellow people, and the image of a world today that is no less committed to the same
practices under different names. It reflects a society and a system of laws far more comfortable
with the unjust imprisonment of a Black child than with providing justice and
freedom for a Black man. It is the testimony of a child, spoken against the injustice that
stole his childhood; the voice of a man who survived in a place that denied his humanity;
a mirror, showing our nation’s willing participation in systems of oppression and calling
us to change. AC

HOT TOPIC
Auntie and Uncle are Unapologetically
Reclaiming Their Time
Aunt Neen and Uncle Bwyan, Unc & Auntie, Aunt Jeanine and Uncle
Bryan, Aunt Bryneen (the poor child felt we existed as an entity), and
Auntie and Uncle. These are the titles bestowed upon us by our nieces,
nephews, and godbaby. They range in ages, from early twenties to
just turning two. And in a little over a 20-year period, we have been
through it all with them — being the cool uncle and aunt who they
can look up to; the frank auntie and unc who always tell them when
they’re going down the wrong path; and the only adults outside of their
parents who they can confide in when necessary. And we’ve done it all
— helping care for newborns, doing after-school pickups, taking them
on educational trips to museums, getting them engaged in volunteer
activities, attending those really long kid recitals and so much more.
Words by Jeanine Hays
Photos courtesy of Emily V Aragones/Prime Video, Karolina
Wojtaski/BET, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Penguin Random House,
The Looke, Apple Podcasts, and Gavin Luxe
116 aphrochic

HOT TOPIC
Auntie and Uncle is a role that we love
and embrace. But today, we’re finding that
those titles, that used to come with very
specific familial expectations in the Black
community, are carrying a new significance
for a new generation. Today’s aunties
and uncles are on a new path, no longer
trying to fulfill a title, but claiming it as
their own while they live life out loud and
unapologetically for themselves.
Aunts and uncles have long had an
important role in Black life in America.
Prior to the transatlantic slave trade that
brought many of our ancestors here, in
many African societies, the role of aunts
and uncles took on special significance.
In Botswana an uncle was referred to as a
malome. He played a pivotal role as the decision-maker
within the family, negotiating
marriages, mediating family disputes and
more. He was basically that dude, with the
authority and the responsibility to preside
over family matters. In Nigerian culture,
aunts are women who have long held a vital
role in the family. Besides biological aunts,
a spiritual mother, or older close friend can
be referenced as auntie.
In African American culture, the
words auntie and uncle come with a variety
of connotations depending on your family’s
roots, and the decade in which you were
born. During slavery and Jim Crow, white
Americans in the south would refer to older
Black women and men as aunt and uncle.
White Americans would use the terms in
a derogatory fashion, calling them aunt
and uncle instead of miss or mister, as was
customary at the time, particularly when
addressing elders. The practice still has
an impact on many African Americans
today. For instance, Oprah Winfrey and
Gayle King reject the term, feeling it is
a throwback to those days when white
people would call Black women auntie. The
term uncle can also pull forth images of
Uncle Ben, Uncle Remus and Uncle Tom,
long associated with racist stereotypes in
American society.
Yet, for our generation, auntie and
uncle were completely divorced from the
antebellum and Jim Crow eras. We looked
to the aunts and uncles in the Black family
who had entered popular culture. In the
'80s and '90s we remember watching Aunt
Viv and Uncle Phil on the Fresh Prince
of Bel-Air. They were an aunt and uncle
known for providing love, discipline and
a safe space for their nephew to thrive in.
Telma Hopkins was Aunt Rachel, a loving
part of the multi-generational family that
was Family Matters. And Rose, Sandra and
Pearl on 227 felt like all of the aunties we
had grown up with — spilling tea, sharing
secrets in hushed tones, and always into
everybody’s business.
Today, aunties and uncles are being
celebrated in Black popular culture as a
way of life. There are TikToks and reels celebrating
aunties as smart, independent

issue fourteen 119

HOT TOPIC
120 aphrochic

women. Marjon Carlos’ popular podcast Your Favorite
Auntie embraces the auntie lifestyle with insight, humor,
words of encouragement, and hard-to-hear advice that
she hands out each week on her show. Gavin Luxe’s Rich
Bougie Auntie candle line equates the auntie lifestyle
with luxury, inviting sistas to “surround yourself with
the warmth and luxury of this enchanting scent and
embrace your inner bougie auntie — you've earned it!”
And the fashion brand The Looke has created a line of The
Rich Uncle leisurewear. Their Instagram feed features
images of Black men rocking The Rich Uncle looks while
they are out to brunch, drinking wine, or jet-setting off
to somewhere fabulous. The clothing embodying the idea
that the rich uncle is an aspirational figure in today’s
Black community.
Beyond aspiration, auntie and uncle is no longer
a term being bestowed, but is a life path being claimed.
Aunties and uncles have become a symbol of agency in
the Black community — self-determined, unencumbered
by familial expectations, free to design our lives for
ourselves. It’s a lifestyle about claiming the life you want
in whatever shape that may take - couplehood, parenthood,
childfree, partnerships, marriage, or flying solo.
Women like Rachel E. Cargle are a perfect example.
The author of A Renaissance of our Own and the woman
behind @RichAuntieSupreme on Instagram, is creating
community with “those who indulge in the lifestyle
of being childfree by choice,” as she puts it. Her book, a
rallying cry for those courageous enough to admit that
they want something different in life to feel empowered
to reimagine and create a life that feels right to them. On
shows like Harlem and First Wives Club, we see in Camille,
played by Meagan Good, and Hazel, played by Jill Scott,
women who are unafraid to reimagine their lives without
children, marriage or family.
For what may be a first for Black Americans, we are
entering a moment focused on creating and embracing
a lifestyle where we get to exercise agency over our own
lives. For aunties and uncles our life is our choice, un-defined
and unregulated by meta-narratives, family obligation
or the desires of the state. We are beginning to define
the lives we want, and are realizing that we can design
them as we want. And that is absolutely something to unapologetically
claim and embrace. AC

WHO ARE YOU
Name: Ishara Lacsina
Based In: Maryland
Occupation: I’m a student, ice skater and podcaster. I like learning about
space and science and math. I like learning different languages: Chinese,
Tagalog and Spanish. I’m in the third grade. I’m eight years old.
Currently: I’m writing a big giant graphic novel that’s three chapters. It’s
a book for kids about the immune system and how it works. Some of the
immune cells are soldiers and some are spies and it’s a big battle of life
and death for the person who got infected. I write it and draw it, then my
mom helps me organize and publish it. I do it all from scratch.
Black Culture Is: Anything! It could be heritage, your life, food, anything
really. The list goes on!
You can listen to Ishara’s Reading Podcast on your favorite podcast platform.
122 aphrochic

THE
APHRO
APHRO
CHIC
PODCAST

ELEVATING THE
Conversation
JEANINE HAYS AND BRYAN MASON, AUTHORS
OF APHROCHIC: CELEBRATING THE LEGACY OF
THE BLACK FAMILY HOME, JOIN THE TOP
LITERARY THOUGHT LEADERS AT THE PENGUIN
RANDOM HOUSE SPEAKERS BUREAU TO SPEAK
ON TOPICS SURROUNDING BLACK CULTURE,
HOUSING EQUITY AND THE SOCIAL IMPACT OF
DESIGN IN AMERICA.