Day: March 3, 2021

Wahira Labelle uses her voice as an artist, storyteller, and activist to draw attention to crucial sociopolitical issues. As a Black trans woman migrant and refugee, Wahira shares her insights into difficult lived experiences to communicate the reality of displacement and the importance of equality.

Wahira Labelle is of Somali descent. Fleeing from the civil war in her home country, the artist grew up in refugee camps. In Somalia, identifying as LGBTQ already attracts the death penalty. Other people in the refugee camps soon found an issue with Wahira’s femininity. She was made fun of even for the way she sat. On top of invalidating her developing identity, they ridiculed and beat her up. Having found her way to California, Wahira is leading the charge in advocating for the dignity and rights of the LGBTQ community and minorities at large.

The complex intersection of race, gender identity, politics, and other social or cultural constructs can be difficult to discuss. Much information and emotion can be lost in translation due to the limitations of language or misunderstood due to cultural differences. Recognizing this challenge and her unique position in shedding light on these issues, Wahira Labelle constantly searched for different ways to tell her story.

Fortunately, Wahira Labelle found art and activism. In addition to speaking five different languages, she has also explored the role of music in one’s journey to healing. Art and music are powerful forms of expression that convey the human experience to a universal audience. Wahira discovered that she could express her pain with a pen, pouring her heart out writing songs. She uses these art forms to share her lived experiences as a refugee who crossed borders and climbed mountains to get to where she is today.  

“Create your own tribe” is one of Wahira Labelle’s most famous quotes. The line embodies Wahira’s empowering message that people can come together and choose to form welcoming communities. Despite all that she has already achieved, Wahira focuses on the work that still needs to be done. She continues to maximize the use of her platform to advocate for Black minorities, refugees, and LGBTQ migrants.  

Throughout all the pain, suffering, and loss that characterize Wahira’s work, hope remains her central theme. Her primary goal is to be the voice for the voiceless, especially Black refugees. “I want people, my people, to feel validated and that life has not ended when they hear my song. No matter how far it may seem, there’s still hope,” says Wahira Labelle.

Wahira has now lived in the United States for over ten years. She works for a government transport company. The little girl in the refugee camp who was not recognized, ridiculed continuously, and beaten up now shares a message of hope. She assures her community that although there is a long journey ahead, things will get better. Wahira Labelle has been featured on BBC Africa, Blavity News, QueersEthiopia, and many more.

To learn more about Wahira Labelle, please visit her website.

“Humankind is suffering its darkest time in modern history,” says Mike Jean, CEO of MLife Music Group. “‘No Goodbyes’ is a song for anyone who has ever lost someone.” 

Written and performed by Norman Alexander “No Goodbyes” is the heart and soul of the tribute video In Memoriam, providing the forum and feeling for American Ballet Theater’s Erica Lall and Carlos Gonzalez’s performance of pain and poetry.

“When I first heard Norman’s piercing emotions [in “No Goodbyes”] I thought about my two grandfathers, who I feel are still with me,” says Lall. “With the losses of the past year, I feel this song will offer comfort to so many.”

Styled by celebrity designer and stylist Henry Picado and filmed by Austin Hein Productions In Memoriam invites viewers to feel. And remember.

“Such a strong and needed message in the world we live in right now,” says Gonzalez. “So many people are losing their lives, and it’s important we appreciate all those around us who have helped and continue to help us grow and learn. ‘No Goodbyes’ speaks to that.”

And so does dancing.

Lall and Gonzalez both found a profession in an art form that expresses and heals, much like music. 

“Dancing has always been a part of my life,” says Gonzalez. “I started when I was 6 and haven’t stopped ever since. I discovered a different way of expressing my feelings and my emotions through movement.”

“I was shy until I started to dance,” says Lall. “It’s how I express my joy and vulnerability and how I share my heart with the world. “

Talking about his first release, “No Goodbyes,” Alexander says, “It is important that we remember our loved ones just the way they were. We must never forget them, tell the world of the stories they left behind, and say their names so they echo through time.”

In Memoriam is now available.

Stories are powerful vehicles of passing down information from one generation to another. These days, stories are being buried under the saturation of information, and non-fictional people of color especially have become far too underrepresented in modern media. Enter Your Queens Inc., the first-ever registered African Royalty character company that depicts the beautiful stories of non-fictional African Kings and Queens.

Your Queens Inc. is a company with a meaningful mission. The company aims to evaluate, educate, and express the dynamic lineage of real African women and men through storytelling, song, and dance. The company aims to spread the awareness of these non-fictional individuals through the costume entertainment industry. 

In an industry where far too many characters are fictional, Your Queens Inc. brings to life real people with real stories such as Queen Amina of Zaria, Nigeria; Queen Makeda of Sheba, Ethiopia; Queens Cleopatra and Nefertiti, Goddess Isis, King Tut of Egypt, and many more. The company was founded by dancer, teacher, designer, and entrepreneur Ekiuwa Asemota. 

Ekiuwa felt that now is the right time to teach today’s youth and adults about the beautiful royal lineage of African Kings and Queens. These days, when the constant news cycle is all about injustice, racism, depression, doubt, and fear, Your Queens Inc. hopes to cast those negative troubles aside by presenting historical stories of African royal lineage through costumed characters.

Your Queens Inc. provides entertainment and education at the same time, and for the past six years, the company has provided services to over 300 organizations, including public schools, counseling centers, special events, art festivals, music festivals, colleges, and many more. The esteemed company has been featured in a variety of prominent media outlets such as Essence, Elle Magazine, Hot 97, The Root and CBSN, Channels Television in Nigeria, Rolling Out Magazine, Esquire Magazine, Stellar Magazine, Bkreader, Thrive Magazine, and several podcasts. Recently, the company was featured on WVON, Chicago’s only African-American news talk radio station.

Through dynamic storytelling and entertainment, Your Queens Inc. presents each African Queen and King adorned in royal costumes, allowing young and old individuals alike to peek at the rich cultural history that African individuals have to offer. “Our audience will travel through time with us. Soaking in a world of rich African culture from Egypt, Nigeria, Congo, Ethiopia, and the entire continent,” says Ekiuwa Asemota.

In the near future, Ekiuwa Asemota sees Your Queens Inc. becoming a household name as a main source for culture, entertainment, and a magical experience. Cultural entertainment is a fascinating way to educate the masses regarding history, promoting the lives of real people who have shaped the world positively. 

Your Queens Inc. is a fun way to infuse African culture into events such as Black History Month, Women History Month, Kwanzaa, birthdays, holidays, and many more. African royalty deserves more recognition to inspire more and more people, shedding light on the rich cultural history of Africa like no other. Your Queens Inc. is making waves in the industry and positively impacting the world with each and every story they tell.

For more information about the company, make sure to visit the company’s official website.

Whether he is filming another movie or doing creative collaborations for theater productions, promising actor Kevin DeWitt stays on track and focuses on becoming successful in the entertainment industry. While music was his first love from a very young age, he eventually gravitated toward acting, something that he has been very good at from the beginning. His consistent excellent performance in every project is a clear indication that he is making his way to the top steadily. 

The native of New England was part of the Coming 2 America cast, playing alongside veteran actors Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall. He was also privileged to work with other exceptional talents on set that include Kenya Barris, who wrote the film, and director Craig Brewer. For Kevin DeWitt, being part of the sequel to the classic original film was one of the greatest honors of his career. Aside from Coming 2 America, Kevin appeared in other films as the lead character. These films include The Dirty Stall and Our Brothers Lives Matter. He also appeared in several TV series such as The Quad, Dead Silent, ATL Homicide, Fatal Attraction, and Over My Dead Body. 

Kevin DeWitt’s motivation to pursue acting as a serious career spring from a deep realization that there is a need to change the perception of many people about African-Americans. Seeing a society that made so little room for the Black voice to be heard amid the masses, Kevin pursued powerful platforms to bring honor to the Black community in general: through television and film. 

“From seeing stories being told about your culture and the history of African-Americans without truly understanding our point of view or from stories being told which consistently exclude African-Americans or when we are included, it is only when we are downtrodden. Watching stories being told like this sparked the flame for me to go out and change the perception and the narrative for African-Americans in film and television,” Kevin DeWitt explains. 

With the future in mind, Kevin has nothing but high hopes that African-Americans will reach a point in history where there will be mutual respect regardless of their educational background, status, or line of profession. They will be viewed by many as fellow human beings who have the capacity to be great, to be catalysts for change, and to lead in various industries at the same time. In this pivotal time for the Black community in America, Kevin DeWitt looks forward to being a force for change, to be right in the middle of the movement that will inspire a better way of life for all African-Americans. 

“[I am] pushing the culture forward to tell the stories in ways we never have seen or thought to before, collaborating with like-minded individuals on projects outside of film and television to help empower African-Americans and change how we are perceived and received by the world. Working to find and empower more individuals who are trying to uplift those around them through the use of film and television to inspire change on an international scale and not just domestically,” Kevin DeWitt adds.

As Kevin continues to pursue other opportunities to do collaborations that will support his personal goal to excel in the entertainment industry, he is confident he is getting closer and closer to fulfilling his dreams. He hopes that through his life, other people will get inspired and see that they, too, can pursue great things in life and be good at it. 

Get to know Kevin DeWitt more by visiting his website. Follow his Instagram account for updates on his latest projects.