The My-Stery: Let Me Ride Part 1

A few weeks ago, Melissa Harris Perry gave a segment on her show about the political, economic and historical significance of transportation in the United States. Transportation for Black communities, as well as other marginalized communities, historically have been modes of displacement and transcendence, and the lack of transportation for these communities has meant entrapment. […]

Cosmic Ghost at the Museum: Afrofuturism at MoCADA

Traveling through the “Sankofa Portal:” Last week, I attended the Afrofuturism exhibition at MoCADA before it closed. This was my first time at the museum and walking in, I did not know what to expect, but afterwards I was greatly impressed. Looking at the artwork, it was easy to forget that these pieces were created […]

Otherworldly Videos: Root Shock

What is the opposite of future shock? Is it root shock? This is the latest performance from artist and dancer Ni’ Ja Whitson. Whitson puts contemporary and postmodern dance and art performance within an African diasporic context. Her work, Root Shock, re-imagines Yoruba diasporic and Orisa storytelling traditions, and explores the relationship between trauma and […]

Art of This World: Radcliffe Bailey

Artist Radcliffe Baily speaks at the TEDx Atlanta about the mystery of art, the influence of family, music, spirituality and history in his creative process, and his use of art to bring kinfolk together.

The My-Stery: The Web

During the past several years, quite a number of books and essays have come out about connections between African diasporic cultures, and computer and digital technology. For example, Ron Eglash wrote “African Fractals,” a book on the similarities between African fractal designs in such things as textiles and braids, and modern computer designs. Since he […]

The Percussive Approach in Hip-Hop Music

Since I just handed in my final draft for my undergraduate thesis, I wanted to talk a little bit about it. Basically, I use percussiveness as a structural basis for African diasporic music and philosophy. Percussiveness is not only about percussion instruments, but also about social impact, or how different rhythms and patterns of music, […]

Moving on the Wires: Schomburg Digital Exhibitions

This is amazing and I recommend that you all visit these sites: schomburgcenter: On February 1, the Schomburg Center will join thousands of schools, libraries, and education institutions nationwide for Digital Learning Day—sponsored by the Alliance for Excellent Education—for a celebration of innovative teaching and learning using digital media and technology. Digital Schomburg offers you […]