Art Mickalene Thomas American multidisciplinary artist whose paintings, photographs, collages, installations, and films center Black women and explore beauty, sexuality, gender, race, intimacy, and representation through references to art history and popular culture. Read More Keisha Scarville Keisha Scarville is an American photographer and mixed-media artist whose work explores migration, memory, family history, loss, and diasporic belonging through photography, collage, textiles, archival materials, and artist books. Born in Brooklyn to Guyanese parents, Scarville draws extensively on Caribbean heritage. Read More Naima Green American photographer, artist, and educator whose interdisciplinary practice explores intimacy, safety, self-recognition, place, and pleasure through photography, sound, installation, and experimental film, with a particular focus on Black and queer communities. Read More Lhola Amira Lhola Amira is a South African queer, non-binary, plural artist whose multidisciplinary practice explores ancestry, spirituality, colonial history, land, memory, and collective healing through Appearance, installation, photography, video, and film. Their work draws on southern African Nguni spiritual traditions and challenges conventional understandings of identity, history, and the body. Read More Alanna Fields American photographer, archivist, and visual artist whose work preserves and celebrates the histories, communities, and everyday lives of Black LGBTQ+ people through documentary and fine art photography. Read More Kia LaBeija Kia LaBeija is an American multidisciplinary artist, photographer, performer, and storyteller whose work explores identity, memory, sexuality, family, HIV, Blackness, womanhood, and queer experience through photography, performance, collage, installation, and film. Read More Michèle Pearson Clarke Trinidad-born Canadian artist, writer, and educator whose multidisciplinary practice explores Black and queer experiences through photography, film, video, and installation, with a focus on grief, intimacy, masculinity, vulnerability, and diasporic identity. Read More Zanele Muholi Visual activist and photographer best known for documenting and celebrating the lives of Black LGBTQIA+ communities through powerful portraiture and self-representation. Read More Ingrid Pollard Ingrid Pollard is a British photographer, multimedia artist, and researcher whose work examines race, identity, migration, landscape, colonial history, sexuality, and belonging. Born in Guyana in 1953 and raised in Britain, Pollard has developed a photographic practice that challenges conventional representations of the British landscape and Black British experience. Read More

People Categories List Social Change Voices engaged in challenging inequity, protecting rights, organizing communities, and pushing institutions toward change. Read More Art Artists and creative practitioners working across visual, material, digital, performance, and experimental forms of expression. Read More Screen & Stage Creators working across film, television, theater, performance, and the many roles behind the scenes that bring stories to life. Read More Literature Writers and literary voices working across poetry, fiction, nonfiction, essays, memoir, criticism, and publishing. Read More Lifestyle People exploring the ways we live, care for ourselves, build relationships, express identity, and shape our everyday lives. Read More Media & Journalism Journalists, hosts, commentators, and media creators reporting, analyzing, documenting, and shaping conversations across traditional and digital platforms. Read More Music Artists and music professionals creating, performing, producing, composing, and shaping sound across genres and disciplines. Read More Sports Athletes and professionals working across competition, training, coaching, administration, media, and the broader world of sports. Read More

Princess Weekes Biography Princess Weekes is an American writer, cultural critic, editor, YouTube creator, and public speaker whose work examines popular culture through the lenses of race, gender, sexuality, history, and media representation. An openly queer Black woman, Weekes creates essays, videos, and commentary exploring film, television, comics, literature, and fandom. Her work focuses on how stories shape ideas about identity, culture, and representation. Weekes gained recognition through her writing on comics, fantasy, and popular culture before joining The Mary Sue as an editor and staff writer. During her time at the publication, she wrote articles covering media representation, genre storytelling, adaptations, and issues affecting marginalized communities in fandom and entertainment. Her writing combines cultural analysis with historical and social context to examine the narratives found in popular media. Weekes has expanded her work through her YouTube channel, where she publishes video essays about literature, fantasy, film, television, history, and cultural representation. Her videos explore topics including race in entertainment, colonialism in popular media, historical interpretation, and the development of fictional characters and stories. She has also contributed writing to publications including The Mary Sue, The Washington Post, and Polygon, and has participated in panels, podcasts, and public discussions about diversity, publishing, fandom, and entertainment. Through her writing, videos, and public engagement, Weekes contributes to conversations about representation and inclusion in popular culture. Her work highlights the contributions of Black creators, women, LGBTQ+ communities, and other groups whose experiences have often been underrepresented in mainstream media. By combining accessible storytelling with cultural criticism, Princess Weekes continues to examine the relationship between entertainment, history, and identity. BQW Impact Princess Weekes brings an African-American perspective informed by Caribbean heritage to literary and cultural criticism, using writing and digital media to examine representation, race, gender, sexuality, and popular culture. Her work across journalism, video essays, and literary programming contributes to broader conversations about representation in books, film, television, and speculative fiction. Notable Works The Mary Sue Writing and editorial work covering literature, film, television, fandom, race, gender, and LGBTQ+ representation. Princess Weekes YouTube Channel Video essays examining representation, popular culture, feminism, race, gender, and sexuality. It's Lit! PBS Digital Studios literary video-essay series co-hosted and co-written by Weekes and Lindsay Ellis. It's Lit! [Unabridged] PBS Digital Studios podcast hosted by Weekes featuring conversations with authors, discussions of influential novels, and topics related to books and literature. PBS Books Readers Club PBS literary program featuring Weekes as a host discussing books, authors, and reading culture. Learn More The Mary Sue: Princess Weekes Her author and editorial archive at The Mary Sue . PBS: It's Lit! Official PBS page for the literary video-essay series co-hosted and co-written by Weekes. PBS Books Readers Club PBS collection featuring Weekes's literary programming. Princess Weekes on YouTube Her video-essay channel covering representation, popular culture, feminism, and related subjects. Previous Next

To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key. A cultural directory and digital archive highlighting the people, work, stories, and communities shaping Black queer life. Dedicated to showcasing all of the amazing Black Queer Womxn around the world. Explore the Network Voices engaged in challenging inequity, protecting rights, organizing communities, and pushing institutions toward change. Artists and creative practitioners working across visual, material, digital, performance, and experimental forms of expression. Creators working across film, television, theater, performance, and the many roles behind the scenes that bring stories to life. Writers and literary voices working across poetry, fiction, nonfiction, essays, memoir, criticism, and publishing. People exploring the ways we live, care for ourselves, build relationships, express identity, and shape our everyday lives. Journalists, hosts, commentators, and media creators reporting, analyzing, documenting, and shaping conversations across traditional and digital platforms. Artists and music professionals creating, performing, producing, composing, and shaping sound across genres and disciplines. Athletes and professionals working across competition, training, coaching, administration, media, and the broader world of sports.

People Directory List Adaku Utah Social Change Aishah Shahidah Simmons Social Change Alexis De Veaux Social Change Alicia Garza Social Change Amandla Stenberg Social Change Angelique V. Nixon Social Change Arlo Parks Social Change Ayanah Moor Social Change Be Steadwell Social Change Bri Hall Social Change Brittney Griner Social Change Cappie Pondexter Social Change Charlene Carruthers Social Change Cheryl Clarke Social Change Chinyere Ezie Social Change Dai Burger Social Change Deborah Anne Dyer (Skin) Social Change Dionne Brand Social Change Ericka Hart Social Change Gabrielle Civil Social Change Imani Rupert-Gordon Social Change Jacqueline Woodson Social Change Janelle Monáe Social Change Jaylah Ji'mya Hickmon (Doechii) Social Change Jerrie Johnson Social Change Jovanka Beckles Social Change Junauda Petrus Social Change Kehlani Ashley Parrish Social Change Kelsey Lu Social Change Khadijah Queen Social Change Kim Jackson Social Change Leilah Babirye Social Change Lhola Amira Social Change Lori Lightfoot Social Change Adejoke Tugbiyele Social Change Akwaeke Emezi Social Change Alexis Pauline Gumbs Social Change Alyssa Thomas Social Change Andrea Ritchie Social Change Anita Dolce Vita Social Change Audre Lorde Social Change Barbara Jordan Social Change Bessie Smith Social Change Briana Lawrence Social Change Camae Ayewa Social Change Cara Page Social Change Cherise Alexandria Gary (UNIIQU3) Social Change Cheryl Dunye Social Change Crystal Cheatham Social Change Danielle Moodie Social Change Dee Rees Social Change Dope Saint Jude Social Change Fikile Vilakazi Social Change Gina Yashere Social Change Ingrid Pollard Social Change Jade Fox Social Change Jasmin Savoy Brown Social Change Jennifer Mullan Social Change Jerrilynn Patton (Jlin) Social Change Joy James Social Change Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera Social Change Keisha Scarville Social Change Kenita Placide Social Change Kia LaBeija Social Change Koleka Putuma Social Change Lena Waithe Social Change Linda Magano Baumann Social Change Aderonke Apata Social Change Alanna Fields Social Change Alice Walker Social Change Amaarae Social Change Angel McCoughtry Social Change Arlan Hamilton Social Change Autumn Breon Social Change Barbara Smith Social Change Beverley Palesa Ditsie Social Change Briann January Social Change Camonghne Felix Social Change Chamique Holdsclaw Social Change Cheryl Boyce-Taylor Social Change Chinelo Okparanta Social Change Crystal Hudson Social Change DeWanna Bonner Social Change Diana De Brito (IAMDDB) Social Change Dr. Sami Schalk Social Change Franchesca Ramsey Social Change Gloria Wekker Social Change Irene Monroe Social Change Janaya Future Khan Social Change Jasmyne Cannick Social Change Jennifer Witcher (DJ Minx) Social Change Jewelle Gomez Social Change Joy Oladokun Social Change Katorah Kasanova Marrero (Young M.A) Social Change Kelela Mizanekristos Social Change Khadija Mbowe Social Change Kierra Johnson Social Change Layshia Clarendon Social Change Leone Ross Social Change Linda Villarosa Social Change

Queen Latifah Biography Queen Latifah emerged from New Jersey's late-1980s hip-hop scene as one of the first major women rappers to establish herself on her own terms. Her debut album, All Hail the Queen , was released in 1989 and combined hip-hop with reggae, soul, jazz, Afrocentric imagery, and social commentary. "Ladies First," her collaboration with Monie Love, became an early statement of women's authority and solidarity in hip-hop. Her 1993 album Black Reign included "U.N.I.T.Y.," which addressed misogyny, harassment, violence against women, and disrespect and won the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. Latifah expanded into film and television while continuing her music career. She became a household name as Khadijah James on Living Single from 1993 to 1998 and appeared in films including Set It Off , The Bone Collector , Chicago , Bringing Down the House , Beauty Shop , Last Holiday , Hairspray , and Girls Trip . Her performance as Matron "Mama" Morton in Chicago earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Her career later expanded further into producing and television leadership. She portrayed blues singer Bessie Smith in the HBO film Bessie and served as an executive producer on the project. She also starred as Robyn McCall and served as an executive producer on CBS's The Equalizer , which ran from 2021 to 2025. Her career has been recognized with a Grammy Award, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, Primetime Emmy Award, Hollywood Walk of Fame star, New Jersey Hall of Fame induction, Kennedy Center Honor, and the National Medal of Arts. BQW Impact Queen Latifah's work has had particular significance within Black queer cultural history through her portrayal of Cleopatra "Cleo" Sims in Set It Off . Cleo is a masculine-presenting Black lesbian woman whose style, confidence, relationships, humor, sexual agency, and refusal to conform to conventional femininity made her a lasting cultural figure for Black lesbian, stud, butch, masculine-of-center, and gender-nonconforming audiences. The character remains one of the most recognizable examples of Black lesbian representation in mainstream American film of the 1990s. Her connection to Black queer cultural memory also extends through Bessie , which connected Latifah's contemporary career to the history of blues singer Bessie Smith and was directed by Black lesbian filmmaker Dee Rees. Latifah has also participated in public LGBTQ-inclusive moments, including officiating a mass wedding at the 2014 Grammy Awards and publicly acknowledging Eboni and Pride during her 2021 BET Awards acceptance speech. Notable Works All Hail the Queen (1989) Queen Latifah’s debut album, establishing her as a major voice in socially conscious, women-centered hip-hop. Living Single (1993 - 1998) Latifah starred as Khadijah James, the editor of an independent magazine and the central figure in a Black women-centered ensemble sitcom. Set It Off (1996) Latifah portrayed Cleopatra “Cleo” Sims, a masculine-presenting Black lesbian whose representation became deeply significant to Black queer audiences. Bessie (2015) Latifah portrayed blues singer Bessie Smith and served as an executive producer on the Emmy-winning HBO film directed by Dee Rees. The Equalizer (2021 to 2025) Latifah starred as Robyn McCall and served as an executive producer on the CBS action drama. Learn More Queen Latifah, Kennedy Center Institutional profile covering Queen Latifah's career and recognition, including her Kennedy Center Honor. Queen Latifah, GRAMMY.com Official Recording Academy profile documenting her Grammy history and music career. Queen Latifah, Television Academy Television Academy biography covering her television performances, producing work, and Emmy recognition. Bessie, Television Academy Television Academy resource on the HBO film, including Latifah's performance and executive producer role. Queen Latifah, National Endowment for the Arts Institutional profile documenting Latifah's career and National Medal of Arts recognition. Previous Next

Social Change Alicia Garza Organizer, civil rights leader, author, and political strategist best known as co-creator of the Black Lives Matter movement and for advancing Black political power through community organizing. Read More Mandy Carter American Black lesbian activist and organizer whose more than five decades of movement work have connected racial justice, LGBTQ+ liberation, nonviolence, peace, and Southern organizing. She co-founded Southerners On New Ground and the National Black Justice Coalition. Read More Linda Magano Baumann Linda Magano Baumann is a Namibian lesbian human-rights activist, community organizer, and media advocate whose work has advanced LGBTQ+ rights, women's rights, and social justice. Her advocacy has connected grassroots organizing in Namibia with regional African and international human-rights networks. Read More Morenike Giwa Onaiwu American activist-scholar, author, educator, and advocate whose work centers disability justice, human rights, neurodiversity, HIV advocacy, and intersectional community leadership. She founded Advocacy Without Borders and is a prolific writer and editor. Read More Cara Page Cara Page is a Black Queer Feminist writer, cultural memory worker, organizer, and producer whose work has shaped healing justice, abolitionist organizing, and the preservation of movement histories. Read More Imani Rupert-Gordon Imani Rupert-Gordon is a Black queer community organizer and nonprofit leader whose work centers LGBTQ+ communities, particularly Black LGBTQ+ people and women. She has led community organizations in Chicago and serves as president of the National Center for LGBTQ Rights, where she leads national LGBTQ+ rights advocacy. Read More Val Kalende Ugandan human rights advocate and LGBTQ+ activist who helped establish organized lesbian and LGBTQ+ activism in Uganda through Freedom and Roam Uganda (FARUG) and became an internationally recognized voice on LGBTQ+ rights, faith, sexuality, and human rights. Read More Andrea Ritchie Andrea J. Ritchie is a Black lesbian writer, organizer, researcher, and network weaver whose three decades of work document and challenge policing and criminalization affecting Black women, girls, trans people, and gender-nonconforming people. Read More Adaku Utah Adaku Utah is a Nigerian American healing justice practitioner, somatics practitioner, multidisciplinary artist, and educator whose work centers embodiment, collective care, and Black liberation. Read More Charlene Carruthers Charlene A. Carruthers is a Black lesbian writer, filmmaker, scholar, and community organizer whose work connects Black queer feminism, movement building, and social justice. Read More Naomi Washington-Leapheart American minister, professor, movement strategist, and justice advocate whose work connects Black queer life, faith, theology, education, and social justice. She has worked in LGBTQ+ faith organizing, Philadelphia city government, higher education, and movement strategy. She is the founder of Salt | Yeast | Light and serves as Strategic Partnerships Director at Political Research Associates. Read More Phyllis Akua Opoku-Gyimah (Lady Phyll) A British activist, community organizer, human rights defender, and anti-racism campaigner, widely known as Lady Phyll. She is the Founder and CEO of UK Black Pride and Executive Director of DIVA Charitable Trust. Read More Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera is a Ugandan human rights activist, community organizer, and media founder whose work has advanced LGBTQ+ rights, challenged discrimination, and created platforms for LGBTQ+ Ugandans to document and share their own experiences. Read More Monica Simpson American activist, organizer, singer, spoken-word artist, and reproductive-justice leader whose work centers reproductive justice, LGBTQ+ liberation, racial justice, and community organizing. She is Executive Director of SisterSong. Read More Janaya Future Khan Janaya Future Khan is a Canadian nonbinary activist, organizer, storyteller, writer, and social-justice educator whose work centers Black liberation, LGBTQ+ rights, gender justice, and movement building. Born and raised in Toronto and later based in Los Angeles, Khan became an international voice for Black Lives Matter. Read More Kierra Johnson Kierra Johnson is an American LGBTQ+ and reproductive-justice advocate, organizer, and leader who serves as President of the National LGBTQ Task Force. Her work centers queer liberation, reproductive justice, youth leadership, and equity. Read More

Samiya Bashir Biography Born in Ypsilanti and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Bashir earned a BA in Literature of American Ethnic Cultures from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Michigan. She began publishing poetry and chapbooks in the 1990s before releasing her first full-length collection, Where the Apple Falls , in 2005. Her poetry collections include Where the Apple Falls (2005), Gospel (2009), and Field Theories (2017). Where the Apple Falls was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in Lesbian Poetry, while Gospel was a finalist in the same category in 2010. Field Theories won the 2018 Oregon Book Awards' Stafford/Hall Award for Poetry, and its title poem received a Pushcart Prize. Bashir co-founded Fire & Ink in 2002, an organization and writers' festival created to support LGBTQ+ writers of African descent. She remained involved with the organization through 2015. In 2022, she became executive director of Lambda Literary, serving until 2023. Her work extends beyond poetry into editing, performance, multimedia art, and opera. She co-edited Role Call: A Generational Anthology of Social & Political Black Literature & Art , edited Black Women's Erotica 2 , and wrote the libretto for Cook Shack , an opera by composer Del'Shawn Taylor that was commissioned and premiered by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in 2023. Bashir was awarded the Joseph Brodsky Rome Prize in Literature in 2019. Her fourth poetry collection, I Hope This Helps , was published by Nightboat Books in May 2025. She lives in Harlem and continues to work across poetry, performance, multimedia art, teaching, and literary advocacy. For 2026–27, she is serving as the Viebranz Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at St. Lawrence University. BQW Impact Samiya Bashir has made a significant contribution to Black LGBTQ+ literary culture as a poet, editor, organizer, and literary leader. Her work explores Black queer experience, identity, sexuality, the body, and cultural memory. As a co-founder of Fire & Ink, Bashir helped create a dedicated literary space for LGBTQ+ writers of African descent. Her later leadership of Lambda Literary and contributions to Black queer literary anthologies further expanded her role in LGBTQ+ literary culture. Notable Works Where the Apple Falls (2005) Bashir's first full-length poetry collection and a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in Lesbian Poetry. The collection explores identity, the body, sexuality, transformation, and resilience. Gospel (2009) Bashir's second poetry collection, published by RedBone Press and a finalist for the 2010 Lambda Literary Award in Lesbian Poetry. Role Call: A Generational Anthology of Social & Political Black Literature & Art (2002) Co-edited by Bashir with Tony Medina and Quraysh Ali Lansana, the anthology brings together Black literary and artistic work across generations. Field Theories (2017) A poetry collection that won the 2018 Oregon Book Awards' Stafford/Hall Award for Poetry. Its title poem received a Pushcart Prize. Cook Shack (2023) An opera by composer Del'Shawn Taylor and librettist Samiya Bashir, commissioned and premiered by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in 2023. I Hope This Helps (2025) Bashir's fourth poetry collection, published by Nightboat Books in May 2025. The work combines poetry, memoir, essay, and visual experimentation. Learn More Official Website Bashir's official site, including her biography, books, collaborations, current projects, and events. Poetry Foundation Professional biography covering Bashir's poetry, Fire & Ink work, Lambda Literary leadership, and major honors. Academy of American Poets Authoritative poet biography, selected poems, publications, and award information. Poets & Writers Writer profile documenting Bashir's identity, publications, editorial work, Fire & Ink history, and awards. Previous Next

bell hooks (Gloria Jean Watkins) Biography Born Gloria Jean Watkins, bell hooks adopted the lowercase pen name bell hooks in honor of her maternal great-grandmother, Bell Blair Hooks. She intentionally styled her name in lowercase to emphasize the substance of her ideas rather than the identity of the author. Over the course of her career, she became a leading Black feminist thinker of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, writing extensively on race, gender, class, education, love, media, and systems of domination. hooks authored more than forty books spanning feminist theory, cultural criticism, memoir, poetry, children's literature, and pedagogy. Among her most influential works are Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism , Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center , Teaching to Transgress , and All About Love . Her writing challenged academic barriers by making complex ideas accessible to broad audiences while encouraging readers to examine how racism, sexism, capitalism, and patriarchy intersect in everyday life. Throughout her career, hooks taught at several colleges and universities, ultimately serving as Distinguished Professor in Residence at Berea College. Her scholarship, teaching, and public lectures continue to shape conversations about feminism, education, justice, and love, leaving an enduring legacy that extends far beyond academia. BQW Impact bell hooks fundamentally reshaped Black feminist thought by placing the lived experiences of Black women at the center of conversations about race, gender, class, education, and liberation. Her work helped popularize intersectional approaches to social justice while insisting that love, community, and critical consciousness are essential to meaningful social change. Through accessible writing and transformative teaching, hooks continues to influence scholars, activists, educators, artists, and readers across generations. Notable Works Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism (1981) Seminal work examining the intersecting impacts of racism and sexism on Black women and the foundations of Black feminist thought. Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center (1984) Landmark text challenging mainstream feminism to center marginalized voices and experiences. Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom (1994) Influential work reimagining education as a practice of liberation, critical thinking, and social transformation. All About Love: New Visions (2000) Influential exploration of love as an ethical and political practice that continues to shape conversations about relationships, healing, and community. The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love (2004) Examination of masculinity, patriarchy, and emotional healing that expanded conversations about gender and liberation. Learn More Official Website Explore bell hooks' official website featuring her biography, complete bibliography, reading guides, and legacy. Books Browse bell hooks' complete bibliography spanning feminism, education, cultural criticism, memoir, poetry, and children's literature. bell hooks Digital Archive Explore a comprehensive archive of bell hooks' published works and literary legacy. National Women's History Museum – bell hooks Learn about bell hooks' life, scholarship, and lasting impact on feminist thought and American history. Official Biography Read the official biography of bell hooks, including her life, career, and enduring intellectual contributions. Previous Next

Janaya Future Khan Biography Born in Toronto in 1987 to a Trinidadian father and British Jamaican mother, Khan studied at York University before becoming involved in racial-justice organizing. In 2014, Khan and Sandy Hudson co-founded Black Lives Matter–Toronto following protests against police violence. Khan later served as an international ambassador for the broader Black Lives Matter movement. Khan's work has included racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, gender justice, community organizing, writing, and public education. They have served as executive director of Gender Justice LA, a Los Angeles-based organization focused on transgender rights and gender justice. Khan has also written and edited for publications including TIME and Dazed . In 2020, Khan created Sunday Sermons , a series of Instagram broadcasts addressing Black liberation, protest, spirituality, identity, and social change. Their work combines organizing, storytelling, education, and advocacy and has been described through an Afrofuturist lens. BQW Impact Khan's work centers the experiences and leadership of Black queer and gender-nonconforming people within contemporary social-justice movements. Their organizing connects racial justice, queer liberation, gender justice, and community power. As a co-founder of Black Lives Matter–Toronto and an international ambassador for Black Lives Matter, Khan helped extend the movement's reach beyond the United States. Their writing, public speaking, and Sunday Sermons demonstrate how storytelling and cultural work can support organizing and collective liberation. Notable Works Black Lives Matter–Toronto (2014) Khan co-founded the Toronto chapter following protests against police violence and later served as an international ambassador for the broader Black Lives Matter movement. Gender Justice LA Khan served as executive director of the Los Angeles-based organization focused on transgender rights and gender justice. Sunday Sermons (2020) A series of long-form Instagram broadcasts addressing Black liberation, protest, spirituality, identity, and social transformation. Dazed: Read Up Act Up (2020) Khan guest-edited part of Dazed's Fall 2020 issue, contributing writing and perspectives on movement-building, poetry, and resistance. Learn More National Museum of African American History and Culture Institutional biography documenting Khan's identity, background, and organizing history. Dazed Janaya Future Khan Khan's guest-editing work and Sunday Sermons . TIME Janaya Future Khan Khan's published writing and commentary. Instagram @janayathefuture Verified Instagram account. Previous Next

Camae Ayewa Biography Camae Ayewa, professionally known as Moor Mother, is a composer, musician, poet, visual artist, curator, and educator whose work spans experimental music, free jazz, hip-hop, electronic music, sound art, and performance. Raised in Aberdeen, Maryland, she developed a major artistic and community-organizing practice in Philadelphia, where she co-founded Black Quantum Futurism with Rasheedah Phillips and Rockers! Philly. Her work with Black Quantum Futurism combines artistic practice, community research, oral histories, and theories of time to examine Black memory and imagine alternative futures. Ayewa has released numerous works as Moor Mother, including Fetish Bones (2016), The Motionless Present (2017), Circuit City (2020), Black Encyclopedia of the Air (2021), Jazz Codes (2022), and The Great Bailout (2024). She has also collaborated extensively with other artists and groups, including the free-jazz collective Irreversible Entanglements and the duo 700 Bliss. Her work has addressed slavery, colonialism, displacement, housing, racial violence, memory, and historical trauma through music, poetry, performance, and visual art. Ayewa continues to work across music, composition, education, and cultural organizing. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Composition at the USC Thornton School of Music in Los Angeles. Her recent work includes The Film (2025), a collaboration with Sumac, and Future Present Past (2026) with Irreversible Entanglements. Her honors include a Pew Fellowship, the Kitchen Emerging Artist Award, the 2023 German Jazz Prize for International Artist of the Year, and the 2024 Chanel Next Prize. Her artistic and community practice connects Black queer approaches to history, memory, culture, and future-making. BQW Impact Ayewa's significance to BQW lies in her use of music, poetry, visual art, performance, and community practice to examine Black history, memory, gender, sexuality, displacement, and collective survival. Her work creates space for histories and experiences that have often been excluded from dominant cultural narratives. Black Quantum Futurism is particularly significant to BQW because the collaborative practice Ayewa developed with Rasheedah Phillips examines Black memory, queer experience, and alternative futures through theories of time and cultural practice. Through projects including Community Futures Lab, Ayewa and her collaborators have connected cultural memory with community research and alternative visions of the future. Her work with Rockers! Philly further demonstrates her commitment to supporting marginalized artists and communities. Notable Works Black Quantum Futurism (2014) A collaborative artistic and cultural practice co-founded by Ayewa and Rasheedah Phillips that combines sound, visual art, oral histories, research, and theories of time to explore Black memory and alternative futures. Fetish Bones (2016) Moor Mother's debut album, establishing her experimental approach to spoken word, electronic music, noise, and Black historical memory. Jazz Codes (2022) A major Moor Mother album connecting experimental jazz, poetry, Black history, archival memory, and collaboration. The Great Bailout (2024) An album examining Britain's role in slavery and colonialism and the continuing effects of those histories. Learn More Moor Mother Ayewa's official website featuring her music, current work, booking information, and artist materials. USC Thornton School of Music Current institutional profile documenting Ayewa's position as Assistant Professor of Composition. Black Quantum Futurism Information about the collaborative practice Ayewa co-founded with Rasheedah Phillips. Chanel Next Prize Official profile documenting Ayewa's 2024 Chanel Next Prize recognition. Leeway Foundation Documentation of Ayewa's community organizing, Rockers! Philly, and socially engaged artistic practice. Previous Next

Dr. Sami Schalk Biography Schalk earned a B.A. in English and Women's Studies from Miami University, an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Notre Dame, and a Ph.D. in Gender Studies from Indiana University. Her research focuses on disability, race, and gender in contemporary American literature and culture. Her first book, Bodyminds Reimagined: (Dis)ability, Race, and Gender in Black Women's Speculative Fiction (2018), examines representations of disability, race, and gender in speculative fiction by Black women. Her second book, Black Disability Politics (2022), traces Black disability activism and political organizing, including the Black Panther Party, Black women's health activism, HIV/AIDS activism, and contemporary disability politics. Alongside her academic work, Schalk has participated in Black feminist, queer, and disability-justice organizing in Madison. She has served on the board of Freedom Inc. and participated in the Community Pride Coalition's campaign for police-free Pride. Her public scholarship includes pleasure activism and the Pleasure Practices column, connecting pleasure, embodiment, culture, and liberation. BQW Impact Schalk's work places Black queer women at the intersection of race, gender, sexuality, disability, and political struggle. Her scholarship examines how these identities shape Black women's lives, cultural production, and activism. Her work has also expanded conversations around Black disability politics and queer liberation, bringing disability justice into dialogue with Black feminist theory and broader movements for social change. Notable Works Bodyminds Reimagined: (Dis)ability, Race, and Gender in Black Women’s Speculative Fiction (2018) Examines representations of disability, race, and gender in speculative fiction by Black women. Black Disability Politics (2022) Traces Black disability activism and political organizing across movements involving health, disability, race, and liberation. Pleasure Practices Public writing exploring pleasure, embodiment, food, culture, and politics. Community Pride Coalition / No Cops in Pride Participated in Madison organizing challenging police involvement in Pride and advocating for a police-free Pride celebration. Learn More Sami Schalk Official Website Professional website featuring her scholarship, writing, teaching, and creative work. UW Madison Gender & Women's Studies Current faculty profile and research. Duke University Press Bodyminds Reimagined Publisher page for her first book. Duke University Press Black Disability Politics Publisher page for her second book. Instagram: @fierceblackfemme Verified public social account. Previous Next