With the release of The Contemporary African Kitchen, Alexander Smalls continues his legacy of storytelling, celebrating the rich culinary traditions of the African Diaspora. The cookbook highlights recipes from leading African chefs while delving into the cultural significance of these dishes. Through its pages, Smalls invites readers to connect with the history, flavors, and personal stories that make African cuisine a global treasure.

Since it was first introduced by Maulana Karenga in 1966, Kwanzaa has been part of the suite of holidays celebrated by Americans at the end of every year. Yet compared to other winter holidays, Kwanzaa is not especially popular, even among its target community of African Americans. Though a variety of Kwanzaa events take place every year, some attracting crowds of thousands, many of us are unfamiliar with the core principles of the celebration, its history or its original intent. For others, the disconnect is aesthetic, rooted in 60s perspectives on Black culture and diaspora and hard to connect with today. But the seven principles that form the core of the celebration, Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Familyhood / Cooperative economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity) and Imani (Faith), are powerful points of focus and we should be careful not to lose them to neglect. 

Every week, The People’s CDC, a coalition of public health practitioners, scientists, healthcare workers, educators, and advocates working to reduce the harmful impacts of COVID-19, releases a weather report. The volunteer-run organization sifts through data that’s becoming harder and harder to find on the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website. In a clear report, they inform citizens about transmission levels, new variants, wastewater levels, and hospitalizations, providing us with a snapshot of how the virus is progressing.

From its beginning, one of the key separations between the African Diaspora concept and the Pan-Africanism that it was created to replace, was its focus on difference rather than unity as the most crucial element of the relationship between the cultures that comprise it. It was to address the growing sense of difference between Black cultures that scholar George Shepperson, as well as Joseph Harris, first introduced the idea of the African Diaspora in 1965. From there, more voices joined, including British cultural studies luminary Stuart Hall, to more deeply and eloquently explore the nature of the distinctions between Diaspora cultures.

Christmas is one of our favorite holidays. Every year the season brings up memories of growing up in Philadelphia. As kids we couldn’t wait to get to the Wannemaker Building to see the Christmas Light Show and tour the world of Ebenezer Scrooge in the animatronic Dickens Village. We’d walk beneath the dazzling ornaments hung in Rittenhouse Square before going home to sit with moms and grandmoms to be reminded of the parts of the holiday that aren’t about trees and toys. There was more family, food and fun than at any other part of the year. And - at least for a while - we didn’t have to go to school. It was a magical time, and each year we try to share the same warm feelings we remember with our New York family, transforming our home into a winter wonderland just in time for our big party. 

Hugo McCloud’s artistic journey is a story of resilience, experimentation, and the relentless pursuit of beauty in the most unexpected places. Born in Palo Alto, California, in 1980, McCloud grew up surrounded by creativity. His mother, Irene Forster, was a landscape designer, and his father, James McCloud, a sculptor, though largely absent, managed to make a living through his art. Despite this early exposure to the arts, McCloud’s path was far from conventional. Initially pursuing industrial design rather than fine art, he taught himself his craft, dropping out of Tuskegee University to help with his mother’s interior design business, where he started by creating fountains and eventually moved into furniture design. It wasn’t until his late twenties, after years of experimenting with different materials and techniques, that McCloud fully committed to a career in art.

For Thanksgiving brunch, think outside of the box.  Brunch calls for an affair that’s a little less traditional.  Update your Thanksgiving table with a mix of modern and rustic details.  Vintage-inspired chairs, cutting boards used as chargers and plates, and galvanized buckets as candleholders, can all add to the beauty of your harvest table. Use bright pops of color for a festive tabletop display.  Start with linens and florals to make a colorful statement.  Layer brightly hued napkins with fall floral arrangements to add to the colorful mix of your table arrangement.

In 1965, after more than six decades of Pan-Africanism, a new paradigm was emerging, led by a new generation of intellectuals, politicos, and activists. In that moment, the framework that had begun with a brief conference in London, had been formed in the shadow of empires, grew to span nations and, nurtured by many of the best minds of the century, played a key role in reshaping the world, began to end.

Blurring the lines between object and subject, concrete and abstract, real and imaginary, Mickalene Thomas creates complex portraits, landscapes, and interiors that explore how women's representation in art and popular culture shapes identity, gender, and self-perception. Thomas’s creativity extends beyond traditional artworks to include collages, sculpture, film, album covers, and furniture design. Her installations often evoke the vibrant aesthetics of her 1970s New Jersey childhood, transformed into psychedelic spaces that explore themes of identity and representation while offering contemporary meditations on female sexuality, beauty, and power.

The history of Black architecture and design is an intricate mosaic that spans several millennia, a testament to resilience, creativity, and innovation, showcasing the ingenuity and cultural heritage of Black people across the globe. From the monumental pyramids of ancient Egypt, which stand as enduring symbols of architectural mastery, to the intricate beauty of the Great Mosque of Djenné in Mali, Black architects and builders have made indelible contributions to the world's architectural heritage. Not consigned exclusively to the past, however, Black achievements in architecture and design continue up to the present day.

Christopher John Rogers, a Brooklyn-based fashion designer renowned for his daring use of color, bold prints, and innovative textures, has dressed icons like Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Michelle Obama. Growing up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Rogers discovered his passion for fashion design in an unexpected way – creating comic books with his friends in the fourth grade. As he designed outfits for his characters, his interest in fashion began to take shape.  Further inspiration came through various sources, from the scanned pages of  fashion magazines he accessed online to the vibrant personalities of designers like Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood. His creativity flourished on platforms like DeviantArt and Tumblr, where he connected with other artists and developed his distinct style.

 The first exhibition to recognize the Harlem Renaissance as the first African American-led movement of international modern art, "The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art emphasizes the critical role the movement took in shaping modern Black identity and its far-reaching influence on transatlantic modernism.

Life is made up of two kinds of things: the real — the things that are, and the unreal — the things that might be. For Haitian-born Brooklynite Yrbenka Arthus, the passion, drive and unstoppable energy that fuels her comes from her ability to “Feel the Unreal” — to imagine what might be and make it a reality. 

Thavius Beck’s story started in Minneapolis and led him to California, into the Golden age of Los Angeles’ underground Hip-Hop culture through legendary venues like The Good Life, Project Blowed and Low End Theory. Emerging as a respected producer, emcee and electronic music performer, Thavius continued to walk the road laid out for him by his creativity, following it to Brooklyn and a new role as a teacher, now professor at the prestigious Berklee NYC campus. In honor of the release of his latest album, Untitled: Volume 1, we spoke with Thavius about his journey through music, the similarities between electronic composition and time travel, and the beauties of creating when there’s nothing left to prove.

The job of an interior designer is one of constant reinterpretation. Rarely does a designer work from their own tastes, preferences or cultural background alone, but blends them with those of the client to create a space that best suits their tastes and preferences while meeting their needs. For the last 12 years, New York interior designer Nina Barnieh-Blair has become an unquestioned expert in the art and process of collaboration with her clients.

Alvin Wayne is the quintessential New York interior designer. Originally hailing from Florida, the well-followed designer has made himself an indelible part of the city’s design landscape through a series of amazing projects and collaborations as well as appearances on a variety of design and home tour shows. When artist and music producer Greg Griffith caught a tour of Wayne’s home on one of his favorite design programs, he knew that he’d found the right designer for his new home.      

For her 30th birthday, Thaïs Sala wanted to do something special. The hotelier, who owns Jnane Tamsna, Morocco’s first Black-owned hotel, with her mother, Meryanne Loum-Martin, decided on an event that would bring all of her favorite people together to welcome in her fourth decade of life.

It's our first thought when we're stressed and overwhelmed, the first step we're taught to take when a moment is in danger of spinning out of control. Just breathe, and it will all come back into focus. But what about the rest of the time? Do we need to focus on our breathing even when things aren't terrible? And what if the anxiety lasts for more than a moment? What if it's rooted somewhere deep in our pasts or — just as likely — the present strain of making worldwide sickness and economic uncertainty, together with political, social, and environmental upheaval all seem like business as usual? Can just breathing help for more than a moment? Can it work to regulate our bodies as well as our minds to create the kind of wellness we need to survive the world we find ourselves in? According to wellness guru and breathwork specialist Kiesha Yokers, the answer to all of these questions is yes. We sat down with the Seattle-based Breathwork Facilitator & Somatic Life Coach to talk about her own journey to breathwork, the power of daily practice, and the potential she believes it holds for us all.

For a city that’s famously only seven-by-seven in square miles, San Francisco carries a lot of history, a lot of stories — and even more dreams. One dream that’s come true in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights neighborhood is that of Swiss-born interior designer, Eva Bradley of Studio Heimat and her husband, artist Cory Bradley. The creative couple’s Victorian home boasts 3,000 square feet, including 5 bedrooms in addition to generous outdoor space, breathtaking views and a historic, century-old facade. But for them, the magic started years ago and thousands of miles away.

Christa Barfield is the founder of FarmerJawn. The agricultural center in the Philadelphia region is focused on regenerative farming practices and reclaiming the legacy of Black farming. Christa shares her incredible story with us - leaving her job in health care administration and embracing a new perspective that quickly connected her to the social issues that surround Black and Brown communities around the perceptions, prices, and quality of the food available to us. With the mission of creating, educating and feeding the community through farming, FarmerJawn continues to grow, overseeing 600 acres of land in a Philadelphia suburb, and developing corner stores in the city that will offer healthy, organic foods.