Black Friends Dinner

Our resident producer, audio engineer and my personal boo, Shaun dug deep to let us in on the making of their documentary Assigned Sex. The 30 minute short presents uncomfortable perspectives from both trans and cisgender people of color with the hopes of starting a necessary conversation to reduce stigma, eliminate bias and increase inclusion. Shaun explores gender and sexuality through the lens of Angel, a 23- year old preacher’s kid assigned male at birth. Religion and hyper-masculinity continue to be a powerful influence on how genderqueer people are treated in the Black community. Shaun and Kyler  reflect on their journeys over the 5 years of making the film and share their lessons and learnings since it ended. Guests: Born and raised the daughter of a minister in Cincinnati, Kyler “Angel” O’Neal (https://www.instagram.com/kylerzworld/)   moved to NYC after earning a Bachelor of Arts from Xavier University. After a five-year residency in NYC,  Kyler relocated to Los Angeles, CA where she is pursuing singing, writing and acting. Shaun Dawson (https://www.instagram.com/iamsdawson/)   is a documentary filmmaker and app developer passionate about the culture of learning and amplifying the voice of “the other.”

From appearance and insecurities to agency over our own bodies in the world we live in. What does it mean to walk around in a Black body? Is there an acceptable way to be  Black?? It’s lusted after and its feared and sometimes it feels like there’s nowhere to just be who we are. From the need to code switch to dealing with the police under ANY circumstances to catcalling. We ain’t even safe minding our business. After a short rib stew dinner we came back to the table to really dig in. Guests: Tandeka Fable  is an Interior Designer,  Enthusiast, Innovator and Self Motivator. Dani Moore is a 28 year old lifelong NYer who works in the service industry and doesn’t like people.

Living at an intersection of Blackness can be a little frustrating. From the Hoteps asking “Are you Black first?”, to the “Black Enough” question, living at an intersection of Blackness got people choosin’. My friends and I explore the intersections and interactions of “Black And….” From being being Black and bi-racial to Black and Gay,Black & non-binary, etc, we try to touch on it all. Erica C. Davies (https://www.instagram.com/missdavies/) is a Bronx-bred blasian writer with a penchant for macarons and sneakers. Akil Spooner (https://www.instagram.com/likaforker/) is an over cultured and under educated blasian from the Bronx. Lover of food, fashion and art. Allergic to nuts but always ready for one.

AFRONAUTIC aka Liselle (Lee-sell) (https://www.instagram.com/afronautic/) was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. A self taught photographer and content creator, she travels, blogs and creates content for small brands centered around QPOC. Jeaux “Jeaux is the name, Black Boi Excellence is the game! I am a Masc-Identified, Non-Binary Boi that is passionate about Creativity, Food and Bringing my Queer Bros together, throughout the Diaspora! Jeaux is a DJ,  an amazing cook, loves to dance and makes music in order to free themselves. In the midst of navigating this planet they’ve created a Virtual Safe Space called BlackBoiComplex (https://www.blackboicomplex.com/) . This is a platform honoring, highlighting and empowering BlackQTLGBAI+  Masculine Identified People Through Black Boi Complex, Jeaux helps connect people across the world, providing clarity, unity and strength to those who need it most. Fun Fact about Jeaux, “I can freestyle a song pretty damn well!"

ComfyCosi (co’zi) (https://www.instagram.com/comfyCosi/) is one-third and the creator of the Run The Tape Podcast (https://www.patreon.com/runthetapepod) , New York's premiere podcast dedicated to music discovery focusing on some of the best the City has to offer. Hailing from Brooklyn, by way of Europe and the Mid-Atlantic, he's a subscriber to all things of the culture and the progression of black women in our patriarchal society and an ambassador of the "cancel" movement. Aside from that, he's the Content Director for Bask New York, an emerging creative agency focusing on merging the hipsters with the cultural influencers and those that you need to know. Kierra Leone (https://www.instagram.com/kierraleone_/) is filled with 90's nostalgia and she happens to be in charge of thinking of things before other people know they need them. In, other words, she's psychic (but not really). As she begins to exit her 20-somethings, she applies all the skills she has acquired while adulting to manifest the foundation of her custom career in music & entertainment.

Myls (https://www.instagram.com/myls_music/) is an all around performer. He sings, dances, acts and writes. His primary love is singing and is big on artist collaboration. He believes that he could not live without creativity. Aviva Jaye (https://www.instagram.com/avivajaye/?hl=en)   is an artist + performer dedicated to empathy + diversity primarily through music, wielding voice, piano, harp, guitar + ukulele. Her interdisciplinary experience includes theatre, dance, composition +poetry. Aviva currently focuses on performative projects through the lens of community engagement, social justice + DIY resistance.

Guests: Hari Ziyad  (https://twitter.com/hariziyad) is an artist, the author of Black Boy Out of Time (Little A, 2020) and the Editor-in-Chief of the digital publication, RaceBaitr (https://racebaitr.com/) . They received their BFA from New York University, where they concentrated in Film and Television and Psychology. Hari is also a script consultant on the drama series David Makes Man (OWN, 2019), the Managing Editor for Black Youth Project and an Assistant Editor for Vinyl Poetry & Prose. Ahmad Greene-Hayes (https://twitter.com/_brothag) is pursuing a Ph.D. in Religion and African American Studies from Princeton University, where he is also a fellow at the Center for the Study of Religion. He studies 19th-20th century African American and Africana religious histories and gender, sexuality and religion. He is also the founder of Children of Combahee (http://childrenofcombahee.org/) , an organization committed to ending