2019 Will Be the Year of Expanding the Narrative

I thought about my 2018 community experiences a while back in October, and what I found was a common thread in my list of those I encountered. It was the New edge to their conversation. It was searching for a new way to do or be something. I find that refreshing. I find it brave. So here is to the brave ones; those Afropreneurs as I like to call them, who seek out the expansive route, explores new angles on old things. I like to tell my readers when meeting them, “You’re as old as your conversation, nothing ages you more than old talk. ~ Cheryl Morrow

Kheperah Ray and Cameron Flowers of Floreo Tech, formally known as DevJam Labs; are some of the most expansive thinkers I have met in a while. Their goal is to make apps and hardware development easier and obtainable. Their conversation is not about tech for the sake of tech but about expanding the way we engage with it.

The Rev. Shane Harris is no stranger to controversy. He and I have had many conversations and the one thing I take away from them is that his goal is to control the direction of the narrative and not just the narrative itself. The expansion is in the mouth of the beholder, it’s in the way you chose to speak about an issue.

I call Lawanna Richmond the mother of Afrofuturism is San Diego. Her vision is one that is about self and group self. In the many conversations, we have had, she brings a fresh simple touch that delivers clarity to our community understanding.

When it comes to a conversationalist, Jimmy Lovett (to the left), is not from earth. He is one of the most expansive thinkers in San Diego. His goal during our talks is profound in that he takes a more critical and sound reasoning approach to our community issues that need examining, he’s not afraid to be uncomfortable.

Another warrior of expansion. Angela Trinidad as many know her, speaks the truth and if it’s got to be said, well she’s there to say. Our conversations have been ones of strategy, in a way that brings many media spins to a halt, but Angela has a knack for micronizing the big pill swallow moments into learning, expansive and compassionate experiences.

Theo Garfield has delighted my humor in few of our conversations. I shared a panel with him and found his energetic approach fresh. The humor around his passionate viewpoints is crucial to the communication of learning. Its expansive in the way that allows the listener to internalize the lightness of their perceived problems, I find that more humor is needed, when discussing a problem.

Chida Rebecca and I don’t chat often enough, however she will and has always ventured, the expansive. She’s a renaissance woman to her heart. She believes we should be more and do more, her expanding into the Black dialog, no matter what it may be, says she’s willing to stretch the conversation beyond its present status quo.

Clifton Bell and JeVonne Cortez-Bell are just encouraging to speak with. This husband and wife dynamic duo creates the expansion. I had the pleasure of hearing Clifton speak on a panel and JeVonne one on one, they are just explosive in the “how” you approach a story. Their knack for visually placing your portrait in the moving parts really begins with their direction. The narrative is not only important to them but it must have the heart as well as body to it.

Oliva Green is an expansion queen. Our conversations are always highly packed about what to do next. Her latest venture “Beauty is Black” is the expansion from her joint venture of Black San Diego facebook group with two other founders, Tinicia Smith and Sheri Hopkins. It is about our Narrative for Olivia, but more business oriented around sharing beauty historicities as well as our salon offerings. Beauty news mix with B2B is more of her vision.

Tamara L. Hill and I have not met formally, and have not had an in-depth one on one conversation, but watching her from afar, I see she’s expanding the concept of bringing arts to our community in a very big city fashion. She believes that film, theater and community bridges hopes, and dreams of careers in the media and entertainment industry are natural components to the health of a community. The expansion in her view seems to be community first then beyond instead of the other way around.

San Diego what can we say about JoAnn. JoAnn Fields is actually expansive in a very active way. She literally goes beyond all the time. She does because she sees the need and because she wants to be apart of the solutions. JoAnn will capture the tiniest of moments and make them paramount. She is one of our community’s most treasured assets and I enjoy seeing her work, the passion behind her intent, its rare these days, when some much action is placed behind a belief system.