Hamilton Heights/Harlem, NY Ten years ago, Lynda Johnson, fashion journalist, FIT professor, Go On Girl! book club co-founder and best-greeting-card-picker-ever, appeared in the August "The Trove" feature on the Pendulum blog. The humble visionary and cherished friend had invited me to her elegantly earthy home to share her story. We talked well into the night and again in the morning over healthful meals she'd prepared. How glad I am that she did! We couldn't have known then that she would take flight in a decade, unexpectedly taking her place among the ancestors on a late September day.

Using the past tense to speak of her is a painful adjustment. She was a delightful being - kind, thoughtful, supportive, curious, imaginative, fun – her inherent goodness unparalleled. She was selfless yet understood the import of self-care. She was as lovely a person as there is, the epitome of magnanimity, but you wouldn't want that smoke; she was no pushover. She leaves a remarkable legacy in the national book club (over 50 chapters) she co-founded to champion Black literature, the many students fortunate to have learned from her, her journalistic contributions, and boundless love.

My heart breaks for her adoring husband and all who deeply mourn her loss. She was and remains beloved by legions. I am grateful to have enjoyed a 20+-year friendship with her.

Rest sweetly, Lynda. Thank you for your example; you personified the best in humanity – the kind of person we were blessed to know and should strive to be. I will miss you forever.

READ her 2011 THE TROVE story.

Though she initially eschewed social media, Lynda eventually dived into Instagram, sharing stories of Black brilliance with great enthusiasm.

Follow Go On Girl! Book Club on Facebook, and see Lynda in video clips from the club’s author talks.

Washington, DC - From his Eckington Studio in Northeast, Victor Ekpuk creates works of art informed by nsibidi, the secret ideographic and gestural communication system of the Ekpe Society from his native Southeastern Nigeria, and developed into an invented script of his own. His lines, drawn (or painted) with astonishing fluidity, flow from his pen, his brush, his stylus nearly as fast as his agile mind conceives the concept. READ on for the story of his lifelong art practice. (December 2019)

Takoma Park, MD He's a native Washingtonian with deep roots in the capital city and a love of music encoded in his DNA. He's demonstrated quiet, bluster-free leadership since childhood: from captaining the safety patrols in elementary school and sports teams in high school and college to his 28-year-long day job in corporate management, to leading the charge to present creative improvised music in the region. READ on for his looping, non-linear journey, much like the music he espouses. (November 2019) Photo by Sabiyha Prince

Silver Spring, MD. Jamea Richmond-Edwards is all about unity and building community: in familiy, in neighborhoods, among artists, manifesting a better world for all. It’s been a densely-packed three dozen years on Earth. One marriage to her college sweetheart, two college degrees, three children, four book covers, and a multitude of honors for an impressive body of work including a Joan Mitchell Foundation grant, a US Department of State Art in Embassies Fellowship, and prominent display of her painting in the Lyon Household on television’s Empire. READ on for more on this girl’s girl, mother of sons, huge-hearted, wildly talented artist. (October 2019)

Boston, MA She gives credit where it’s due, free with the big-ups. Tia Fuller is about as lovely a person as there is and with her abundant blessings she “pours into others what has been poured into me.” Vivacious and infinitely gracious, she was a delight to spend time with as she shared her story with THE TROVE. READ on for more on the GRAMMY nominee, Berklee College of Music Professor, gender equity activist and “O.G.” from Beyoncé’s Original All-Female Band. (July 2019)

Los Angeles, CA, Sitting down with Karen Gibson Roc in her Culver City home took me back to 90s Brooklyn, when she and DJ Beverly Bond were running neck and neck for flyest ‘fro, TRACE was a new magazine, and she was in it, repping Fort Greene on the corner of Lafayette and South Portland before Ralph’s got millennial with the signage and the borough became a brand. READ on for her journey from her Jamaican homeland to the Toronto suburbs to Brooklyn and LA, blazing stages with her lyrical flow.

Brooklyn, NY Through his Savoy Media Group, filmmaker Eddie Savoy Bailey, III has just launched his directorial debut, Memphis Majic on multiple platforms to major fanfare, including a spot on ABC’s Good Morning America and a special proclamation from the Borough of Brooklyn, proclaiming his launch date, February 19, 2019, as “Memphis Majic Day” in Brooklyn. Not bad for a first film. READ ON for enterprising Eddie’s story. (February 2019)

Williamsburg, BK - Gifted fashion designer, Cassandra Bromfield (whose work is held in the collection of the Museum of the City of New York) grew up in an environment that fostered creativity. In an era before everyone had the capability of documenting their every moment with their phone, her mother realized the value of chronicling their lives with her Super 8 camera. Cassandra picked up the mantle of storyteller from her now-deceased mom, accessed her “inner director,” and merging vintage footage with new technologies “told these old stories in new ways,” hoping that maybe “someone would stumble on them on YouTube.” Someone did. READ ON to discover how these works affirming black life and documented for posterity found their way into the Tribeca Film Festival. (December 2018)

Hell’s Kitchen, NY — From his garden apartment, William Hooker breaks down his life as an artist from a preacher’s kid whose brother and sister followed their father in to the pulpit, while his quest was spiritual rather than religious. Although he acknowledges his foundational roots in the church, he says, “I’m preaching in a much different way,” his ministry his music. Having met Alice Coltrane and given her a copy of his first recording "so she could usher it into the cosmos," he says was "an eternal experience." In a world where “everyone has to have a brand,” this proponent of free jazz is on a mission to shine a light on the indefinable and exalt those players outside the mainstream.” READ ON for his story. (November 2018)

Brooklyn, NY  She's all about the girl squad, championing and amplifying the voices and stories of women; a cheerleader of the highest order.
From her ageless face shine eyes of wisdom; Crystal Whaley spans generations — cradle to crone — an ancient soul perfectly suited to shepherd her curatorial project, M'Dear: Reclaiming Our Seat at the Table. Reflective on the cusp of completing her forties, she shares her journey to date and ponders the approach of her 50th birthday next year. “My whole life I have wanted to be fifty. It was always the barometer of either I did, or I didn’t, that is, before Janet [Jackson] had her baby at the age of fifty,” she smiles. Though she's always looked forward to turning fifty, she conversely shies away from men who have reached 5-0. "I feel like they are gonna have a heart attack. Okay, Lenny Kravitz, he’s the exception." There is a bit of history behind her phobia. "My great-grandmother had three husbands, and she killed all of them. She was a dynamo. I think she outsexed ‘em. They all got sick after fifty because she was so many things," she laughs. "So I just want one long marriage, a good twenty-five years of no Lipitor on either side. Can we be happy for twenty-five without any medications? That’s what I pray for,” she laughs. READ on for more on this dancing queen, a “twirling” dervish tapping into the divine through movement, art, and storytelling. (March 2018)

Boston, MA - He of the dazzling smile, staccato laughter and soft heart shared his story with THE TROVE in Summer 2011, and I am ever grateful that he did. I gained a friend during that interview, and I now wish him eternal peace with the ancestors and comfort to the beloveds he leaves to mourn. Fly sweet, Myles.

READ MYLES’ STORY

Clinton MD.  A shy girl from Prince George's County, Maryland, Gwendolyn made her way to the Apple and launched a brilliant, lasting career in entertainment PR, all while giving good face--she works the glam as well as any of her top-shelf clients.  An avid theater buff, she's making moves toward producing for Broadway and indulging her songwriting passions to boot. READ GQ's story and stop at our listening station to hear her songs. (July 2013)

Queens, NY.  Barbara Brandon-Croft, native New Yorker has never eaten pizza.  Blasphemy!  How can that be? "Tomato, cheese, I don't like those things," says the self-described "ridiculously picky eater." What she does like, is cartooning and gives props to the black cartoonists who've come before: "the great" Ollie Harrington and his contemporary, Jackie Ormes, who "kicked down the door as both a woman and cartoonist," followed by modern masters, Morrie Turner, Ted Shearer and, of course, her father, the late Brumsic Brandon, Jr., who recognized and encouraged her talent from childhood onward. READ on about Barbara's journey to becoming the first African American female cartoonist to be syndicated nationally in the mainstream press. (January 2018)

"Embrace all that you are and strive to become all that God created you to be.”

Orlando, FL.  For over twenty years, Clay Rivers has crisscrossed the country, engaging audiences in two of America's major family-friendly entertainment franchises, working in a Hollywood production company, designing iconic branding, and finding both his literal and figurative voice. READ on for the story of his creative life and journey toward self-acceptance as a four-foot-tall, black, gay, Christian man. (December 2017)

"The American pie, we baked it; we built it from scratch with our blood."

Crown Heights, BK - These are high times for Liza Jessie Peterson with her first book published this year, All Day: A Year of Love and Survival Teaching Incarcerated Kids on Rikers Island and her one-woman show The Peculiar Patriot, currently at the National Black Theatre. Her commitment to the cause of Black healing and social justice is impeccable, dropping knowledge, creating art for nearly two decades. “I ring the alarm, to be a battle cry against this act against humanity—mass incarceration," she says. "I just want our people to win. I don’t care what other people think about us. I want us to heal by seeing ourselves, seeing our humanity, being able to love us in all of our flaws and complexities. I think we can turn this thing around." READ on for Liza's incredible journey of art and advocacy. (September 2017)

Brooklyn, NY From the rural Jersey pig farm of her beginnings to making a way on stage and screen, Delissa Reynolds moves through the world with boundless energy and drive matched only by her generosity of spirit. For the past thirteen years, she has been holding it down, holding court and creating community as a proud black woman entrepreneur in the People's Republic of Brooklyn at the Prospect Heights boîte, Bar Sepia. But she's branching out.  READ ON for what's stoking her fire. (June 2017)

Washington, DC. With a wonderful sense of light and subtle gesture, Salvadoran photographer David Cea celebrates life, from momentous ceremony to everyday ritual to beautifully nuanced portraiture. His black and white photo series,  Pequeñas Manos, of  trabajadores temporales (temporary workers) was exhibited at the Consulate General-El Salvador on Washington's Embassy Row.  READ on for the story of his journey from San Salvador to the US; how D.C. landed in D.C. (May 2017)

"I want to pursue my craft for as long as I have the ability to see; as long as I have the ability to make something."

Washington, DC.  A Floridian raised in 70's Washington when the nation's capital was mostly chocolate, the Smithson endowment made it easy for an art-loving black girl to lose herself in galleries and museums and a group of visionaries created a public arts high school, Janathel Shaw has devoted the majority her life to the creation and teaching of art.  But she'll tell you that she'll forever be a mom first, it informs everything she does. (April 2017)  READ all about her life, inspirations and process.

Washington, DC.  On one of the hottest days of the summer, the oh-so-photogenic Rhea Combs was the picture of cool as she shared some of her great loves, from her "rad" daughter to OutKast to The Price of the Ticket, a collection of James Baldwin essays she re-reads annually. And with her lovely, ten-tooth smile she adds, private planes. "Once you’ve flown private, you don’t ever want to fly commercial. You certainly don’t want to fly economy class." She says jokingly, "Uncivilized! I want a private plane." 

Jokes aside, she is intensely grateful for all the opportunities that have allowed her to learn, to stretch, to grow, to become all that she is today, "standing on the shoulders" of a mighty people. READ on for her story. (September 2016)

Harlem, NY He’s survived an F-5 tornado, an aneurysm and his beloved daughter’s teen years with a golden rule approach to life. And in the interstices, Jimmy James Greene has created works of art that praise the humanity and the dignity; illuminate the toil and triumph of black people.

He was raised in Ohio, a stone's throw from the funk of Dayton, incubated in music. Casablanca Records spun on the Greene turntable: disco queen Donna Summer for his sister; but Jimmy was a Funkateer, partying on the Mothership.

He speaks with a languid calm: works hard but rests well. "I read something about Capricorn that's true of me," he says. "If you see them when they're down, you think they are the laziest people on the planet, but when they are working, they are workaholics. I'm like that: either full-ahead or I'm off. I don't mind taking time for myself." (December 2016)

READ on

Boston, MA  Certainly confident in her abilities, yet remarkably humble, Terri Lyne Carrington, three-time GRAMMY® Award winner, speaks of her accomplishments as matter-of-factly as she did as a child prodigy in the seventies, without a hint of braggadocio. They are simply her truth. She's a successful multi-genre producer and recording artist, a composer, an artistic director of a jazz festival, a chair at one of the country's finest music schools, a skilled musical director and a badass drummer from way back whose first stage appearance was with Rahsaan Roland Kirk as a kindergartner.  It's no wonder then that the first concert she went to—paid ticket and all—was Parliament, a hitchhiked ride away, across state lines.   

Take a glimpse into Terri's world; her undeniable outer beauty is but a flicker next to the lovely shine from within. (November 2016) READ ON

Paris, FR.  It's been 25 years since "Shazza Zulu" entered the scene at Hillman, espousing what's now bandied about as "hotep" rhetoric and winning the hearts of Winifred Brooks (and legions of viewers) in the NBC sitcom, A Different World.  Actor Gary Dourdan has packed in quite a bit in the intervening years. With love, his brother Joel simply says, "He ain't heavy..." Gary is today, after a period of tumult, a phoenix risen, "learning," as his sister Kim says, "to integrate and be at peace with the amazing being that he is."  READ on for Gary's triumphant journey. (August 2016) 

Washington DC.  Nikki is a roll-up-your-sleeves-and-get-it-done kind of woman, but "Don't get me wrong, I still love a banging outfit," she says. With her mix of grace and grit, guts and glam, the self-professed "pop culture junkie" has made a career in entertainment; amassing skills, connections, and resources along the way that blend seamlessly into her transition to social entrepreneurship.  Heartrending stories of depression and anxiety in her own family catalyzed her to speak up and out to "crush" the paralyzing stigma of mental illness. She hopes to counter the longstanding cultural reticence in communities of color to speak on it. "The conversation has to start within our families since there is such a large genetic component to mental illness or brain illnesses," she says. Her recently launched I Live For... Foundation is flooding social media with the hashtags #crushthestigma #pocdepression and #itsnotaweakness to bring awareness to the much-needed dialogue. Kendrick Lamar, Janet Jackson, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Wimbledon victor, Serena Williams and even the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. have all battled depression. Not exactly a list of people one would categorize as weak. "It's a medical condition, not a character flaw," Nikki says. READ on for her story. (July 2016)

New York City. Certified by Guinness World Records as the Most Recorded Jazz Bassist in history with over 2200 recordings to his credit, Sir Ron has left an indelible mark on jazz, for sure, but his contributions extend far beyond into multiple genres, from classical to hip-hop. He's toured the world, scored and performed in films, and even innovated the piccolo bass.  He is the penultimate multihyphenate: a double bassist-cellist-bandleader-composer-arranger-educator-author. READ more about this sartorially sound maestro.  (March 2015)

Brooklyn NY.  For all the talk of relevance bandied about today--who has it, who doesn't, the self-possesed Jelani Bandele is unfazed. "Relevance?" she quips. "You're relevant whether or not you have a book out, or a CD or 'followers.' Please, you're relevant because you're alive; a living, breathing entity. What's not relevant about that?" As a former publicist she knows the relative value of external recognition, but as a self-possessed woman, she too knows that "Today you are the same fabulous individual that you are going to be when somebody decides to call your name." READ on for more nuggets of wisdom from Jelani's circuitous journey. (May 2016)

"I had to grow into that name, Leonardo. I just didn't feel comfortable with it. But to choose it was my way of claiming my territory, my space, my body as me."

Queens NY.  He is Leonardo, as is his father. And his grandfather. And his triple great-grandfather. READ on how Lenny from the block stepped into his name, honored his ancestors, his heritage and a sui generis approach to life and creating. (April 2016)

Brooklyn, NY When we sat down for our long-ago chat for THE TROVE, djassi was basking in the glow of new motherhood and marveling over her miracle child, Mirahl. They are creating a rich life a deux after significant life shifts from death to divorce. A tragic accident claimed Djassi's beloved brother Mamadou in 2012.

Now seven years old, Mirahl played Misty Copeland in her school musical and asked to audition for and was given a scholarship to the School of American Ballet. Lissome with incredible balance and glorious leg extension (#getsitfromhermama) she still evokes deep awe in her now-single mother. 

Through transition and loss, Djassi beautifully prevails. The self-proclaimed "jackmaster" is now a 2018 Dean's Fellow in the final semester of her graduate program in Dance and New Media at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She recently returned from a successfully crowdfunded research trip to Cuba toward her MFA thesis merging her interests in anthropology, dance, film, and photography. She's since penned her second piece for Kinfolk— on the Dance Theater of Harlem and whipped up a little something for Mirahl to wear to Black Panther while readying the just-opened Brooklyn boutique, Radical Women, a collective of four badass women designers— 4 Women. 4 Brands. One Store. The earrings we've all come to love are available as is her latest venture, dja.1974, her new accessories line of fly and functional handbags and totes. READ on for a look back at djassi's story. (May 2011)

Brooklyn NY.   As if writing and recording music, jamming with her stellar crew on her birthday sets at Joe's Pub, curating the Schomburg Center's annual Women's Jazz Festival and organizing her Word*Rock*&Sword* A Festival Exploration of Women's Lives weren't enough, throw another beautifully ambitious project in the mix, as librettist with her mama, Bernice Johnson Reagon on the operatic remix of the brilliant Octavia Butler novel, Parable of the Sower. Toshi Reagon puts in the work. And it's all community, all love, all the time. READ on for more on her life and work. (June 2013)

Philadelphia PA.  As an artist, arts administrator, ardent collector, gallerist, author and poet, Danny Simmons' reach is vast. The Brooklyn arts community, in particular, owes a debt to his advocacy and sorely misses him now that the Badass Art Man has taken that fervor to Philly, where he now resides and is opening a RUSH Gallery II.  He will, no doubt, blaze new trails in the city's arts scene. READ on for Danny's story. (May 2013)

Asheville, NC  Since our sit-down at a Williamsburg bar, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra has had some personnel changes, it's now "a rotating cast of amazing players." They've continued their frenetic touring pace and embarked on their very first world tour in 2015, beginning in Japan and hitting among other places, Costa Rica, and Germany, where Jonathan attended middle and high school. In June 2016, he played for the first time with his musical hero, Béla Fleck, and the Flecktones. READ on to understand the awesomeness of this performance date.

Harlem NY.  Since our Trove sit-down, Harriette, as is her wont, has been making things happen from touring with Prince and executive producing the award-winning TV documentary, Prince! Behind the Symbol, to turning her meditative crochet hobby into a business, 108 Stitches Harriette Cole Collection with prima ballerina, Misty Copeland starring in her promotions.

Now she's made her biggest leap to date with the launch of DREAMLEAPERS, an educational initiative designed to help people access and activate their dreams. The inaugural event, an inspiring talk with Chef Marcus Samuelsson. Then a sold-out initial DREAMLEAPERS Retreat left attendees energized and ready for more. READ on for a quick glimpse of Harriette before THE TROVE went longform. (July 2010)

Bushwick BK. Dope artist Tim Okamura brings the now to his masterful, classical approach to portraiture, fusing old world technique with contemporary influences. His showstopping, I Love Your Hair is featured in the Outwin 2016 exhibition, "American Portraiture Today" at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC through January 8, 2017.  His brilliant portrait of Missy Elliot was featured in VH1's Women's History Month Campaign, #ThatsWhatSheSaid and he recently held an artist residency at Manhattan's RedBird Gallery in the Meatpacking District. READ on for Tim's story.

Newark, NJ  Since our interview, Dexter has hit a series of high notes in his curatorial practice with panels, talks, lectures, reviews and of course, multiple exhibitions. He's also been appointed Executive Director of Aljira, A Center for Contemporary Art in Newark. The only low to all the high flying (figuratively and literally, as he is racking up the frequent flyer miles) is the closing of the Soho institution, OK Cigars after 17 years of business on West Broadway. The "smoker's sanctuary" closed in June 2014, just months after it topped Dexter's list of faves. READ on for Dexter's full story (February 2014)

Jersey City, NJ  This dynamic, designing duo, since we interviewed them in December 2010, continues to flourish in collaborative efforts and solo projects. Cheryl now embraces the digital space on many platforms including online curation for Artspace.com and a line of tops and scarves featuring her textile designs for Shopvida.com. Her April 2016 talk, The Art of Art Collecting at Jack Shainman Gallery in Chelsea was so popular she'll reprise it this summer in The Hamptons. Courtney has fulfilled a lifelong dream of opening a shop in her Jersey City hometown with the launch of Sloane Square, a lifestyle retail boutique in the Powerhouse Arts District. The exquisite eye sharpened by her thriving interior design practice is on full display in this curation of furniture and furnishings for the modern, well-appointed home. READ on.

Harlem NY.  Our favorite Frisbee-loving, Fulbright Fellow Nnenna has in both 2016 and 2017 performed at Joe's Pub, curated by another member of THE TROVE tribe, Toshi Reagon, the GOODFolk Juneteenth Celebration is an evening of music acknowledging June 19, 1865, the day Union soldiers delivered word in Texas of the Emancipation Proclamation, more than two years after it was issued. 

READ on for more of Nnenna's story. (September 2010)

Rest in peace, Carmen Hague, Nnenna's beautiful, gardening mother.

Brooklyn NY.  Moving metal since 1988, Nicole has developed a loyal following for her "organic textures, sensuous surfaces and seductive, innovative forms." Her mastery of custom cutting gemstones maximizes 'the fire, depth, and color" of each stone. READ Nicole's love story of metal, Mark, and motherhood. (April 2011)

Hamilton Heights, NYC.  An original member of THE TROVE tribe, Alonzo Wright was among our early short-form profiles. Life since then has been quite full: marriage to his beautiful beloved; a recurring role on HBO's Boardwalk Empire as a member of the house band in character Chalky White's Nightclub and more recently a player in a funk band on HBO's Vinyl. He's released yet another recording, Ménage à Trey with his Alonzo Wright Project  READ our glimpse of "Zo" and his cell phone prediction. (February 2010)

DC/LA/NYC.  Our favorite daydreamer has, since we left off, been bringing those dreams out of her head and into the world. In 2013, she was voted one of 50 people to travel with the philanthropic shoe merchant Tom's on a giving trip in South America. In 2014, she launched Brooklyn Dolly on Etsy, featuring her gorgeously magical prints and cards inspired by "nspired by travel, color, texture ,the feminine shape and the many shades and coifs of Brooklyn." She's since acquired an agent and her work is now frequently featured in magazines and publications—such as "The Obama Legacy," a special, limited-edition commemorative section of the Washington Post  READ on for more of Erin's story: her inspirations, dreams, and magical travelogue. (July 2011)