Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2024 - Christina Henderson, Council of the District of Columbia, At-large

Christina Henderson (she/her) is one of four At-large members of the Council of the District of Columbia. The Council comprises a representative from each of DC’s 8 wards, as well as a chairperson and four representatives who represent the whole city, including Christina. A political independent, Christina identifies herself as a “pragmatic progressive,” championing causes such as reproductive and maternal health (she chairs the Health Committee of the Council), early childhood education, transportation equity and safety, and higher education access and student loan forgiveness.

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2024 - DeShanna Neal, Delaware House of Representatives District 13

This week we are profiling DeShanna Neal (she/they), a single mother of four who is an LGBTQ+ rights activist and Democratic Socialist Delaware State Representative. Elected in 2022, they ran on a platform focusing on mental health, the environment, and the legalization of marijuana; this year their focus is on Accessibility for all, Maternal Healthcare for Incarcerated Women, and LGBTQ+ rights. DeShanna is the author of the children’s book My Rainbow, about their transgender daughter, and they are the co-organizer and creator of New Castle County's first ever LGBTQ Youth Pride Festival, as well as, Delaware's first Drag Queen Story Hour. They have a bachelor’s degree from the University of Phoenix (UoPX), and just recently graduated with a master’s degree from Wilmington University (WilmU).

Healing The Planet With The Black Touch

The past few years have seen an uproar in the BLM movement, seeking justice for and recognition of the struggles of the Black community. The call for support of the same extended out to small businesses run by various members of the community. There was also a drastic shift towards sustainable consumption that ran parallelly to the BLM protests. The culmination of these divergent points of focus has given direction to 2023. Keeping in mind the current state of the world environmentally and politically, Jejune Magazine has thrown light on some Black owned sustainable businesses, with the intention of empowering the Black community while attempting to heal the environment one purchase at a time.

Tony Ofori - Doing What He Loves

Born and brought up in Canada, Tony Ofori started his acting journey as a theater actor. Tony has been on a journey of telling stories while doing the things he loves to do. He recently starred in the Emmy-winning series Ghostwriter that released its third installment on Apple TV+ this fall. Much like his character, Malcolm, Tony is very active in raising a voice for the black community. Please read on to learn more in our exclusive interview below!

SWAC: Influencer, zIssue 46Disha GuptaDecember 14, 2022actor, canadian, black community, theatre, TV Series, diversity, Black Artists, black rightsComment

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2022 - Kim Jackson, Georgia State Senate District 41

This week we are profiling Rev. Kim Jackson (she/her/hers), an ordained Episcopal priest and the first openly LGBT+ state senator in Georgia. A Black millennial lesbian, Jackson works to protect voting rights, reform education and criminal justice, expand Medicaid, and protecting immigrants and refugees. She is the vicar of the Church of the Common Ground, a “church without walls” ministering to the needs of the unhoused in Atlanta, and is very passionate about providing affordable housing to Georgians.

Akilah Newton Is A Big Dreamer

Akilah Newton has a dream to have all kids have access to the arts, at least in Montreal, and she is making it happen through her organization Overture with the Arts (OWTA). OWTA offers inexpensive or free education in music, dance, drama and vocal training to children. In addition to this, Akilah has released an inspiring book series “Big Dreamers”, which helps to educate Canadians about their own Black history. With most education systems in Canada focusing a heavy emphasis on American Black History rather than Canadian, Akilah has been inspired to help highlight notable Black Canadians to help educate the youth about their own history. Again, Akilah is stepping up to the plate to help! To learn more about this incredible woman and her many endeavors, please read our exclusive interview below.

Take A Step Forward With Mike Gauyo

Los Angeles-based Haitian writer Mike Gauyo is making it his mission to build creative opportunities for POC youth. You can thank Mike for hit series like "Insecure" and "Ginny & Georgia. Mike not only sees the importance of sharing his perspective as a Black gay Haitian immigrant, but also explores outside of his comfort zone to bring new narratives to life. To align with his values of making the writing industry more accessible to people of color, Mike founded Black Boy Writes/Black Girl Writes to connect young Black writers with industry professionals. Through Mike’s amazing program, students can receive mentorship from established writers like Amy Aniobi, Morgan Cooper, and Kemp Powers. If you are interested in Mike Gauyo’s efforts to create a more inclusive Hollywood, his newest show “Send Help”, or his experience with writing some of America’s favorite series please continue reading the interview below!

No Days Off with Akeem Mair

Akeem Mair, actor and activist from Pasadena, California, has big dreams and a big personality to match. In his interview with Jejune Magazine, Akeem explains the chance instance that inspired him to become an actor, the dedication he has to his profession, and his own ten year plan. Never one to take an off day, Akeem keeps a list of goals and action points to work on throughout the day. His new film, It’s On You, will also be finished later this year. Being a black man in the film industry has never been easy, but Akeem looks to the greats like Denzel Washington and Sidney Poitier to provide representation and inspiration. Additionally, Akeem gets into his charity work as a community leader with the Mysankofi Live experience and his lifelong volunteer work with the First African Methodist Episcopal Church. Read on to learn more about the man himself and his developed sense of community created through his work.

Truth Be Told with Tash Leath-Hamilton

More often than not, people don’t believe in intuitive life coaches. But what if I told you that “everyday people” like Joan from Fresh Market or Bob from Pep Boys to Hollywood’s most notable celebrities believe and consult with Natasha Leath-Hamilton? Since discovering her gift at the age of seven, after making her therapist cry by asking intimate details that no one else knew about her life, she now is attracting the attention of OWN Network for a series! The intuitive life coach has used her God-given gift to help people win and live their best lives. Her readings are so special and accurate that she is usually booked out on average for four months straight. Aside from her natural-born gift, Tash has honed in on her learned gift, the skill of entrepreneurship – building her intuitive life coaching business single-handedly, from the ground up. She is truly a positive light. Come check out our interview with Tash as Jejune goes in-depth into her empowering journey to becoming an intuitive life coach, her entrepreneurship, and much more!

Patricia Espinosa Paints Her Mind Through Art

Art has the power to evoke emotions and allows aesthetes to ponder the meaning behind the creations. And what makes people ponder more than arts that question and challenge the perception of society’s norm? One artist that is creating art triggered by social, cultural, and political events is Patricia Espinosa. Inspired by her mother’s passion and love for the concept of simplicity, the Mexican-born artist creates artistic works that highlight neglected issues with the use of everyday objects. Espinosa further inspires the world by working with Choose Creativity and Sing for Hope to uplift people in need through the power of art and creativity. Read our interview with Patricia Espinosa below to find out more about her artistic journey and the significance behind her thought-provoking yet captivating work.

Sipping 'The Tea' With Olivia Charmaine

Our screens are a place where people tell stories to each other or the world beyond our borders. But, our history proves that these screens usually don't tell the stories of all of us. Racial and gender-based discrimination is still there and what we are looking for is some diversity, equality, and inclusion. However, there are some people want to change this unjust structure by telling our stories! Olivia Charmaine is a film and television producer and she embracing her melanin, queerness, and womxn power after making her mark in the TV & film industry as one of Hollywood’s best-kept secrets, with her weekly live stream show, The Tea currently on IGTV. The Tea is a weekly IGTV series that invites celebrity guests to relax, unwind, and participate in one-on-one conversations mindfully and reflectively. It brings people of color and colorful people together every Tuesday at 8 PM EST. Celebrities who have attended the event so far are Everett Osbourne, Darius Coleman, Luke Lawal, and more. Olivia also has a production company, Black Monarch Entertainment, which is very inline with The Tea. Its main aim is to support people of color and anyone from a marginalized community with a story to tell. Check out our exclusive interview with Olivia Charmaine to learn more about her.

Honoring Juneteenth: Celebrating Black-Owned Sustainable and Ethical Businesses

Juneteenth is in the works to become a national holiday in the USA! And, we at Jejune, couldn’t be more thrilled! Juneteenth is a day dedicated to celebrating the end of slavery in the United States, and we want to celebrate by supporting some amazing socially aware Black-owned businesses! You can impact a community and redistribute economic empowerment in choosing to shop and support Black-owned businesses on Juneteenth and every day. In honor of Juneteenth we have compiled a list of vegan, cruelty-free, ethical, and sustainable brands for you to check out!

The US Army Is Becoming More Hair Inclusive - Will States Follow Suit?

Creating a Respectful Open World for Natural Hair. That’s the mission of the CROWN ACT.

The CROWN Act was created in 2019 by Dove and the CROWN Coalition to ensure protection against discrimination based on race-based hairstyles by extending statutory protection to hair texture and protective styles such as braids, locs, twists, and knots in the workplace and public schools. Ending hair discrimination would, as Rep. Ilhan Omar puts it, step forward to combat racial discrimination. She states, “For far too long Black women have been penalized for simply existing as themselves.”

EDITORIAL - Keith L. Williams Is Out Of This World

Jejune loves to interview the next generation and hear how they are deciphering the current social and political situation, as well as the health crisis. There’s plenty of flack given to Millenials (who are coming on 40 years old on the older end of the generation’s spectrum) and Gen-Z gets a bad wrap for being a technology-dependent generation; however, these groups of individuals are movers and shakers who are not afraid to share their opinions. Gen-Z’s coming of age story is occurring during a pandemic and that’s nothing to shy away from. We were delighted to interview Keith L. Williams and learn more about how he sees his generation making an impact and envisioning a better future, particularly in light of COVID-19 and continuing to seek out philanthropic opportunities. To us, Keith is out of this world for more reasons than one. The 13-year-old actor stars in Nickelodeon’s The Astronauts as the lovable big-brother character, Martin Taylor, and has worked on titles such as The Last Man On Earth and Good Boys. Keith has big dreams of continuing to shoot for the stars in Hollywood while remaining grounded through supporting causes close to his heart, demonstrated by his work with Palace of A.U.T.I.S.M. Please continue reading for our exclusive editorial with Keith L. Williams.

Actress Jennifer Sears on Social Activism & Black Mental Health

Combining her pre-law degree with her love for acting and social activism, Jennifer Sears is a voice of passion and authenticity. Ever since her big break in Tyler Perry’s Madea Family Reunion (2006), Jennifer has continued to work with worked alongside some of the industry’s most astounding talent and production teams, with roles in the award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated film “Bessie” alongside Queen Latifah and Mo’Nique, The Best of Enemies starring Taraji P. Henson, VH1’s Daytime Divas alongside Tichina Arnold, Bounce’s Saints and Sinners and FOX’s Star, to name a few. We speak to Jennifer about her most recent role on OWN’s Greenleaf as it enters its fifth and final season. We also discuss how Jennifer is using her platform to raise awareness for causes that are close to her heart. She frequently works with the Atlanta Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and consistently works to share resources about Black Mental Health. Please read our interview with Jennifer Sears below.