Celebrating Creators of Color
Every February we celebrate and remind ourselves of the amazing, individual accomplishments of many African-American and diverse people of color, past, and present. The month is short but the list is infinite, so we wanted to take the time to highlight a few creators of color who we believe are stopping at nothing to forge their path and go down in history.
@Jeromelamaar has been cheffing in the ‘kitchen’ for so long; prepping trends, and serving looks to your favorite celebs — including Beyoncé and Rihanna — that you probably had no idea who the mastermind was all this time. An artist way ahead of his time, Jerome is a proven maven in the world of innovation and technology, expanding way beyond the fashion world and into architecture, furniture and fine art. Jerome has been tapped by major global brands to help activate their creativity in a way that no corporate brainstorming session could ever achieve. His authenticity, views on life, and love of the South Bronx are what makes Jerome unique from any other Creative Director on the scene right now. He’s oozing concepts that may not see the light of day for years to come, but that is what makes him invaluable to the community. Jerome is the definition of a trendsetter and will continue to pave the road for minorities in the industry.
Michael K. Williams is a well-known face throughout entertainment, he’s appeared on a long list of wildly popular shows and movies like The Wire, Boardwalk Empire and 12 Years a Slave. But more recently @Bkbmg has been making headlines for partaking in a much different role, as an activist. In Spring of 2018, Williams premiered his documentary through VICE on HBO named, “Raised in the System” which unabashedly exposes the school to prison pipeline, which has led to mass incarceration embedded into the United States. *He offers the solution of beginning rehabilitation with the juvenile justice system.* Follow @Bkbmg through Brooklyn and beyond as he pursues his amazing projects, Making Kids Win, City Weeds, and his socially conscious brand, Kings County.
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It comes as no surprise that @Yarashahidi has her hands full, not only has she been acting successfully since she was four years old but over the last few years, she’s developed a strong, impactful voice for those without one. Not even old enough to legally drink, she’s already established herself as a powerful activist for diversity within Hollywood and has even stood up against President Trump’s travel ban during the N.A.A.C.P Image Awards. A first-generation American, Yara used her status to call out the ridiculous decision, which led to her passion bubbling over to create a mentorship program named Yara’s Club (partnered through the Young Women’s Leadership Network), which encourages young High School girls to come together and discuss social change. We’re starting to think there’s two of her, but you can find Yara floating between a real college campus (*cough cough Harvard*) and a sitcom campus for her hit show, Grown-ish.
@Bradleytheordore became widely known for his street art murals around NYC (and the world) of skull motifs, famously including, Anna Wintour and Karl Lagerfeld. The vision behind his skeletons stemmed from racism and the ideology that at the basis of it all — we are all human. Born in Turks & Caicos, Bradley’s evolution from digital tech pro to street artist to philanthropist has been an exciting journey to witness. While traveling the world, Bradley decided to start focusing his attention on nonprofits, including a migrant center in Greece, and he recently became enamored by Shining Hope for Communities, which was founded in Kenya with a mission to “combat urban poverty and gender inequity in the slums of Nairobi.” Bradley has become increasingly involved in the organization and has donated his time and support to make sure the youth of this program reaps the benefits in the future and beyond.
Over the past few years, UK-born, New York-based visual artist @Shantell_martin has made her mark or ‘doodle’ right on the art world’s facade. Her intuitive illustrations, and large scale immersive works address “the complexity around identity, intersectionality, and other topics relating to the modern human condition.” Aligning herself with brands and artists with the same purpose, Shantell has a long roster of amazing collaboration including Puma, Kendrick Lamar, and The New York City Ballet. Shantell has experimented with many different mediums such as textiles, ceramics and circuitry, all while connecting her artistry with modern technology and performance art. We have no doubt that Shantell will continue to use her canvas and platform as a way to express and initiate dialogues about progressive topics.
