Q1: Tell us about your upbringing—you were born and raised here in Vallejo?

I was born and raised primarily in Solano County. I feel like if you grew up in any city in Solano County, you claim Solano County. 

Growing up in Solano County was very religious and I was raised with and by older people. I spent a lot of time with my great grandmother who contributed a lot to my music taste and how I interact with people. 

Everybody in my family has lived in my great grandmother's house. Like, you know, that traditional black matriarch story. Every Sunday going to church, cooking, and listening to music. She really liked older music, so I grew up listening not necessarily just to older artists, but the older sound like Tracy Chapman. Now that I think about it, I think a lot of the experiences and conversations that I had with her influenced how I storytell today: like using poetry, music, and kind of having a more soulful style, if you will. People like my grandmother say I’m so much like her and I think it's really just because of how I interacted with her, which is very much like I'm gonna read people, but I'm always gonna move in kindness.

That was my childhood and I then moved to Sacramento at the age of 12 or 13.

I eventually graduated and went to UC San Diego and lived there for 3 years majoring in political science and minoring in African American Studies. My last year of college, which was this past year, was spent abroad; I moved to London and lived there for three months, then moved to Ghana. My trip was cut short due to COVID and I had to come back to the states.

Q2: Having been afforded the opportunity to leave the country, what do you think sparked your interest in traveling?

I think it's who raised me. The people who raised me grew up here and Vallejo very much contributes to how my family sees the world and as a result, how I see the world, too. I grew up around a lot of music, a lot of arts, a lot of conversations, but I also recognized at the same time how closed minded a lot of people are—even family members. 

Many are very quick to negate this, because they’ve heard other people say this. But I’ve been present for some of those negative conversations about different folks from the Diaspora and witnessed how many people were very quick to just interject their views on another group of people based off of what they heard or one bad experience, which really made me want to do the exact opposite —see and learn the world for myself.

Q4: How have you seen the impacts of gentrification affect your surroundings?

I’ve seen gentrification push Black folks out of our community, our homes since I was a child. I’ve overheard many conversations amongst my older family members about this company buying out this apartment complex or tearing down these houses for this new business. I’ve heard it and I’ve seen it. In San Francisco, Oakland, and even here in Vallejo. The prices of housing and living in general are steadily rising and the pay of Black folks is either staying the same or decreasing. To me, it looks like the homeless population in Vallejo has increased. 

When I hear Black folks talking about buying homes, I immediately hear that it’s getting harder and harder for us to do so in our communities. This is why financial literacy is important. It’s unfortunate because in a capitalist society money is freedom. And to a certain extent in order for Black people to get the house or the land, we gotta play the game. That’s the sad part.

I don't see myself staying here long term just because of the traveling I’ve already done. I want to continue to travel, meet new people, make art, share art, and learn for myself. But I do see myself planting more seeds in my community for our education and to sustain us.

Q5: What does art mean to you and how have you used art to spread your knowledge?

I think music, photography, poetry—all of it, have given me an extra sense of self and it complements my purpose. It's really about understanding who I am and taking the time to explore who I am. 

It's given me a greater understanding of how connected we all are despite our different experiences or despite growing up in different places. Being able to travel and make meaningful relationships with people, learn about their life, and share wisdom with one another has very much influenced all of what I create, and how I create.

Art is one of the, if not the strongest, form of communication and the greatest tool for teaching. I think being true to myself, being in a constant state of reflection, maintaining my sense of integrity in how I create, and what I create is an example of what I'm talking about. And I'm an example of the lessons that I've learned and an example of the wisdom that's been shared with me. Just continuing to do what makes me happy and letting the passion and the knowledge that I've gained speak for itself.

I also think my dedication to working with youth, which I've done since I was in high school, is a great way for me to be able to share those lessons and those experiences. I’m working with a youth organization in Oakland right now, Girls Inc of Alameda County, as a social justice advocacy program leader. I teach a social justice advocacy curriculum in a very modified way, trying my best to make it as engaging and interactive as possible in this new virtual environment.

It gives me an opportunity to talk about social justice, talk about advocacy, and how to show up for our communities, but also how to show up for ourselves. I have an opportunity to bring in some information that I've gained from firsthand experience and talk to people around the world. And whether or not they decide to absorb or adopt that information is up to them. I always tell them to continuously ask questions and research to figure things out for themselves.

Q6: What are three takeaways that you’ve learned thus far in your 22 years of life?

#1 — Give myself grace every day and in every way. 

#2 — Honesty is key. Honesty is key to success in every way, whether that's success in the material form, success in your personal relationships, or success in your relationship with yourself. Honesty is key. No need to beat around the bush or withhold information when you already know what it is. 

#3 — I think something else that life is teaching me as well—two months ago, in July, a friend of mine passed away from cancer. My grandfather also currently has cancer and he's on a steady decline. I bring those two up to say that those experiences—being close to people who are going through something like that has very much shown me how short life is—it can be who you least expect. So I think most recently, life has been showing me to relax; allow myself to be happy and experience pleasure while I'm here.