It’s been four years since I’ve posted here. The last time, I asked the world, have white supremacists overplayed their hand? Fast forward to last night’s presidential debate, and President 45, when asked to denounce white supremacists, told them to “Stand back and stand by.” Needless to say, shit has escalated.
In the meantime, I’ve been keeping busy. You can check out the new “Portfolio” and “Press” links to see more, but here’s a quick rundown of some of the things I’ve been up to over the last four years:
Respond to Racism
My mother Willie Poinsette and Liberty Miller co-founded Respond to Racism LO in my hometown of Lake Oswego, Oregon in 2017. Later that year, I began volunteering, and have served in a number of roles since, including Media Action Team Leader, Vice President and Youth Empowerment Committee Co-Chair. More importantly, as an organization, we’ve helped build infrastructure for real culture change in a town that has more than earned it’s nickname “Lake No Negro.”
Teaching
I also recently began my foray into teaching. While I’ve been conducting journalistic interview workshops for years, I got the chance to expand that into a full creative nonfiction course in 2019 as part of the Literary Arts’ Writer in the Schools program. In addition, I’ve had the opportunity to build my facilitation chops with RtR, conducting everything from discussions on “Batman and the White Male Imagination” to developing curriculum for monitoring public meetings.
Writing projects
The bylines have been steady, albeit increasingly less public. It’s no secret that print journalism is in a major transition phase. Meanwhile, foundation work and PR is where more steady work can be found and I readily admit I’ve moved with the economy. That said, I’ve been both intentional and, frankly, lucky in getting to a place where I work with clients who are actively fighting for justice and/or align with my values of empowering marginalized people and creating a just society.
Press Play NW
This spring, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Donovan Smith, Molli Mitchell, and I created the NW hip-hop music video discussion series 106 and Quarantine. We have since changed the name to Press Play NW, host a monthly interview and screening series with local artists, as well as a weekly radio show. We’ve also partnered with the Numberz FM, Vanport Mosaic, and PDX Hip Hop Week along the way.
What to expect from this site going forward
This site is going to have two main functions. First, it will be a hub for all new content, which you can find in “Blog Posts.” This will include new bylines and content such as the latest episodes of Press Play NW and upcoming interview series. I might also pen a fresh essay here and there.
The second function of this revamped site is to serve as a business portal. Individuals and organizations can use this as a one-stop shop to learn about and solicit my writing, editing, facilitating, and/or consulting services, as well as schedule workshops and classes.
More to come
Be on the lookout for updates and new site features coming soon.