Identifies as: Black Same-Gender Loving Christian Man
Pronouns: He/him/his
Life's work
"My life's work is excavating the past in order to learn from it and move forward. The Akan people call this 'Sankofa.' I'm currently working on a genealogy and oral history project, in which I am tracing my lineage, digitizing old family videos and photos and interviewing extant family members about their lives. Combined with the contextual research I'm doing about Afro-American history, I am learning much more about the past, my family and current social justice struggles happening today."
Job
"I'm a librarian and assistant professor at a community college. I'm helping the world become more information literate- one college student at a time!"
What is the best thing about being trans/ gender-variant?
"For me, it's having the dual consciousness that comes with having lived as female and now as male. Noticing the gendered nuances in my interactions, gaining a new and insightful understanding of male privilege, and seeing the ways in which my 'new' gender shapes how I experience race. It's been painful, but also a continuous learning experience."
Do you consider yourself an activist?
"I recently connected with two local organizations that seek to educate, mentor to, and support young people of color. Too often, our society dismisses and devalues young people and underestimates what they are capable of. I believe an important aspect of social justice work is inter-generational dialogue and respect."
What issues outside of the queer community do you care about?
"I feel that every issue impacts the queer community. These days, I'm especially passionate about immigrant rights, voter suppression and women's healthcare. But anything that impacts marginalized groups is something that I care about."
What do you think are the most important issues facing the trans/ gender-variant community?
"I would like to see more self-love and unity within our community. No more shaming people for their decisions about how they decide to transition ( or not ) . No more comparing ourselves to other people to validate our identities. Loving who we are from the inside out in a society that stigmatizes our bodies and identities is the most radical thing we can do."