Our Black Gay Diaspora Podcast

Anastacia-Reneé is an American writer, educator, interdisciplinary artist, playwright, former radio host, and TEDx speaker. She is the author of Forget It, Sidenotes from the Archivist, and Here in the (Middle) of Nowhere. Side Notes From The Archivist was selected as one of “NYPL Best Books of 2023” and the American Library Association's (RUSA) “Notable Books of 2024.” Anastacia-Reneé is a recipient of the James W. Ray Distinguished Artist Award and was selected by NBC News as part of the list of "Queer Artist of Color Dominate 2021's Must-See LGBTQ Art Shows," for “(Don’t Be Absurd) Alice in Parts”, an installation at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle, Washington.

Jay Penn is an American writer, producer, and singer. His 2024 album, Sky High Sunsets, features the songs “Euphoria (Say Yes)” and “Money”. In 2020, he released the EP, Before Then. His 2018 EP is titled Pennding. Jay is also the creator, writer, and lead in the SLAYTV web series, Love & Us. It centers around the lives of three 30-something Black gay men who navigate dating and friendship in Los Angeles.

This special episode features Dr. Harvey Kennedy-Pitt, a British Trustee for Portfolio for Global Health & Development for ReportOUT, a UK-based global human rights organisation for sexual and gender minorities. Dr. Kennedy-Pitt is a “globally oriented health strategist and public health practitioner committed to advancing health equity on an international scale.” He’s worked with other organisations like the NHS, World Health Organisation, and Unstukk.

Chiamaka Okike is a Nigerian multidisciplinary writer who has edited for women’s issues in Isele Magazine and spoken at various workshops and panels. Her writings have appeared in The Kalahari Review, Narratively, Wilson Quarterly, Edinburgh’s Literary Salon, Brittle Paper, and ActiveMuse. Chiamake's works include Perihelion, Chewed Glass, Return of the Sun. She's also the author of the novella, Seeri.

Steve Morris is a British LGBTQ+ Travel Curator for Outbound Adventures, an agency where he curates travel adventures for LGBTQ+ couples and small groups. Steve’s ten years of world travel as a flight attendant gave him a front-row seat to how one can relieve the stress and experience the magic of international travel. With Outbound Adventures, he offers “travel with heart and structure”.

Rodrigo Tadeu is a Brazilian international advocate, storyteller, and human rights & public policy strategist. With a background in international law and public affairs, he is a “passionate advocate for justice, equity, and transformative leadership.” Rodrigo is also a Global Campaigns Officer for ReportOUT, an organisation founded by Drew Dalton, that is “protecting the human rights of sexual and gender minorities in the United Kingdom and globally.”

André Wade is the State Director for Silver State Equality, Nevada’s statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. André leads legislative, policy, and government affairs work, as well as fundraising, political and advocacy activities. In May 2018, he was one of The Advocate's ‘Champions of Pride’. In May 2023, André was featured in Modern Luxury Las Vegas magazine as one of the 15 Most Influential People. His book, Seven Ways to Disappear: The Book within the Book, is “a creatively insightful guide to the reinvention of the self.”

This episode features "The Karamazovs," Rami Margron and Jordan McCree. Rami is an American actor, playwright, dancer and physical comedian. Their résumé includes being a founding member of Reconnect, an African-diaspora dance theater company, a resident artist at San Francisco’s Crowded Fire Theater, and acting in televisions series like Law & Order, New Amsterdam, and Ray Donovan. Jordan is an an American composer who has collaborated on projects with Clubbed Thumb, Theatre Horizon, The Wilma Theater, and the Philadelphia Theatre Company. He is also a member of the hip-hop collective, ILL DOOTS.

Anthony Oakes is an American comedian, writer, actor, and producer who is taking comedy by storm. His clean, yet edgy, southern, intellectual, witty humour will have you reeling with laughter. He is a Washington, D.C. resident who has performed at The DC Improv, DC Drafthouse, The Bier Baron Comedy Loft, Busboys and Poets, and The Wonderland Ballroom. Anthony has also been at The Apollo, The John F. Kennedy Center, The DC Improv, The Broadway, The Westside, and The Greenwich Village Comedy Clubs in New York City, and The Laugh Factory, Comedy Store, Flappers, and The Ice House Comedy Club in Los Angeles. In 2021, he was the recipient of DC Mayor Muriel Bowser's prestigious Mayoral Arts Award for Excellence in the Performing Arts.