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ERIC BELLINGER

H E A LT H Y - D E S I G N E D F O R H O M E

K E L I A N N E S TA N K U S

MAZ JOBRANI

TIME TO HEAL

MAGGIE LINDEMANN

GOVERNOR GRETCHEN WHITMER

M AY O R D A V I D H O LT

M AY O R E M I LY L A R S O N

GOVERNOR LARRY HOGAN

M AY O R M I C H A E L B . H A N C O C K

GOVERNOR ASA HUTCHINSON

R E P R E S E N T A T I V E C A R O LY N B . M A L O N E Y

100

DREAM BIG

126

REVEREND AL SHARPTON

132

SHAUNETTE RENÉE WILSON

141

A DA M WA H E E D

148

RUSSELL TOVEY

154

BETH BEHRS

162

A TA H I T I A N S O J O U R N

171

DEXTER DARDEN

COVER SHOT BY HALDANE MORRIS

Publisher

CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER

Editor-in-Chief

Editorial Assistant

Creative Director

Art Director

Vanessa Ferrelli

Kristina Villarini

Eiko Watanabe

Hannah Fitzpatrick

Tim Morrison

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Tiffany Shorter

Fashion Editor

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PHOTO EDITOR

Ty-Ron Mayes

Thomas Wilmer

Matt Anthes

Ron Contarsy

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Catherine Ho

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Savannah Dial, Summer Myatt, Jacqueline Kirk, and Hazel Mekkattukulam

Legal Counsel

Jeff Ostrow, 1 West Las Olas Blvd., Suite 500 Fort Lauderdale | Florida 33301 | T. 954-525-4100

N O T E

F R O M

T H E

E D I T O R - I N - C H I E F

Back in September, a study showed that the prevalence of sleep troubles, lethargy, feelings of hopelessness, and other depression symptoms in adults across the nation more than tripled since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The media echo chambers, inflammatory rhetoric, and divisive politics did not really help anything, but have added fuel to the already-volatile fire.

This past year has felt like a huge slap in the face, and things have never looked gloomier for everyone – beyond troubling but critically important for us. We have been worried about mounting problems: a surge in COVID-19, losing our jobs, civil unrest, and the unusual combination of tropical storms, wildfires, and other disasters. Although coronavirus vaccines were given to Americans for the first time on December 14, the pandemic has led to more than 19 million cases (and counting to this day) in America and more PTSD, depression, anxiety, substance use, and other disorders in the general population.

After facing the monumental task of dealing with the worst pandemic of the past century while being thrown off course by hate crimes and/or bias-motivated incidents – all fostered by an us-versus-them mentality and the country’s political landscape – we need to heal from all the damage, all the negativity, and all the bleeding as a nation and as individuals. While introducing this issue, I would like to reconfirm that we are fully awake and engaged now, and can actually move forward with a concrete goal that we all share, but that also comes with healing from pain and trauma, which is a necessary part of the process. Going into the new year, we must bring out the best possible results from the worst possible circumstances – by transforming our suffering into a source of joy, hope, and confidence in the depths of our being – together. Thank you and please wear a mask (vaccine distribution takes time),

Eiko Watanabe Editor-in-Chief

C I V I L I A N M A G A Z I N E |5

Frames, UNKNOWN EYEWEAR (TALENT’S OWN). Shirt, KENZO (TALENT’S OWN). Belt, LOUIS VUITTON (TALENT’S OWN). Jeans, BALMAIN (TALENT’S OWN). Shoes, CLARKS SHOES X CARHARTT WORK IN PROGRESS (TALENT’S OWN). Jewelry, TALENT’S OWN. Watch, TALENT’S OWN.

ERIC BELLINGER

MAN IN THE MIRROR: TERM 3 Hazel Mekkattukulam

It’s been said that music can be the best medicine. In a time when people are looking for rejuvenation, while feeling suffocated by the pandemic, artists like Eric Bellinger have found a way to keep their cool and offer a breath of fresh air. For Bellinger, this year has been a time of self-improvement and artistic freedom, and an opportunity to become his best self – and his recent project, Eric B For

President: Term 3, reflects that.

his past year, Bellinger has found the importance of meditation and used his music to address the social issues that he felt were important to speak about. Against the backdrop of chaos and widely differing responses that we have witnessed in this weird, frightening year, Bellinger’s new ideas were flowing freely and undisturbed. “The creative process made me only dig into a deeper bag that I wasn’t able to dig through by being on the road so much. I was able to sit down and come up with brilliant ideas,” he says, referring to his writing process, marketing strategies, and music-video shoots. His Term 3 is about “finding someone, meeting them, being patient for them, getting them – and then they hold you down.”

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Frames, CARTIER (TALENT’S OWN). Sweater, NN07 (TALENT’S OWN). Pants, MONFRÈRE (TALENT’S OWN). Socks, GUCCI (TALENT’S OWN). Shoes, GUCCI (TALENT’S OWN). Jewelry, TALENT’S OWN.

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IF EVERYBODY LOOKED IN THE MIRROR, EVERYONE, THAT’D BE THE BEST WAY TO TRY TO START CHANGE.

ERIC BELLINGER

Throughout the pandemic, the Grammy-winning songwriter and R&B artist has also utilized the extra time at home to be introspective, which has made him enjoy life more – learning the guitar, taking some dance lessons, eating better, doing yoga, spending time with family, etc. “If everybody looked in the mirror, everyone, that’d be the best way to try to start change, doing things that you want to do, being a better version of yourself,” Bellinger asserts. Community and opportunity are at the center of his life, as he incorporates his own experiences into writing camps across the country and introduces new songwriters and producers to one another – taking the initiative to give industry newcomers the space to really create. (He has a house that all the bedrooms have been transformed into a fully working studio where they all get to create.) “All of the things that made me who I am, I just have been giving those same opportunities to everyone else,” says Bellinger, who, together with his manager and business partner Nieman Johnson, hopes to release the newly-signed artists’ music in 2021, while operating their own YFS (Your Favorite Song) label. Photographer: Catherine Asanov (@catherineasanov) Stylist: Justin Madison Men’s Grooming: Nia Joy & Andrew Delaloza & Twy B Videographer: Jack Guerra Editor: Eiko Watanabe Special thanks to EPK Media (@myepk & @epkmedia - epkmedia.com)

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HEALTHY

DESIGNED

FOR HOME CAMILL E RIES

PHOTOGRAPHER: OLIVIA KOHLER

a FASHI O N & F I T N E SS

s the COVID-19 pandemic has forced gyms to close, it can be hard to stay fit. In addition, due to the pandemic, we have been facing increased stress, which can affect both our mental and physical health. While in-person group fitness classes have moved virtual and shelter-in-place orders have come and gone, it now requires creativity to be healthy. How do we maximize our limited space and resources at home to deliver an amazing workout? Just because you don’t have the space to do cartwheels in your kitchen, ride a fancy workout bike, or perform a range of different dumbbell exercises, that doesn’t mean you can’t meet or exceed your workout goals. Here, I wanted to focus on brands that took this problem head-on, bringing movement into my daily routine. I learned a lot through my research. Jump-roping burns more calories per minute than running and cycling. There are dumbbells that are stylish and great for displaying on a shelf, fitting like a functional work of art. Sensory stimulation is a vital part of barefoot workouts. I’ve brought to you seven game-changing at-home workout products to keep you in shape and feeling bright, refreshed, and revitalized.

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GET LEAN Crossrope Jump Ropes Crossrope is the deceptively-efficient and accessible at-home exercise tool that puts treadmills and bikes to shame, when it comes to burning calories. This is the Peloton of jump ropes. Now, you can change the flow of your workouts with the easy-to-swap ropes and handles. The product comes with a 60-day return policy, and a lifetime warranty on the premium, easy-to-grip handles. Additionally, it is accompanied by a free 30-day trial of the Crossrope premium app – containing more than 200 workouts, over 10 fitness challenges, jump counting, and activity tracking with the ability to sync to Google Fit and Apple’s Health app. If cardio is your goal, then the Get Lean set will dig into your softer spots. The lighter ropes are built for speed, HIIT workouts, and endurance-building training. The set includes 1/4-lb. and 1/2-lb. jump ropes, along with a pair of interchangeable slim handles that allow you to easily switch intensity levels during your workout.

GET STRONG Crossrope Jump Ropes Get ready to sweat because the Get Strong set is perfect for high-intensity strength training and full-body musclebuilding workouts. The set includes 1-lb. and 2-lb. heavy ropes, along with a pair of interchangeable thicker power handles.

MIND BODY MAT Naboso Technology Keep your feet, brain, and body grounded during your next barefoot home workout with the Naboso Mind Body Mat. Developed by Dr. Emily Splichal, podiatrist and human-movement specialist, the Mind Body Mat uses a unique patentpending texture to keep your feet and hands engaged and in place, during your yoga, Pilates, barre, or floor session. Moreover, the mat feels durable and high-quality, weighing in at 4 lbs. and measuring in at 72” x 24”. Naboso also offers other mats for heavy weightlifting.

MIDNIGHT UBARRE EQUIPT EQUIPT was founded upon the desire to bring more movement into your daily life with a vision that beautiful design can inspire movement. The Ubarre does just that. With its sculpturesque design, the Ubarre could easily function as a home-décor item on a windowsill or shelf, rather than a piece of exercise equipment, and you won’t be able to walk past it without a second glance. With 4-, 8-, 12-, and 16-lb. options, the Ubarre’s unique shape allows it to replace dumbbells and kettlebells as a core item for planning your workout.

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UWRAP VEGAN LEATHER ANKLE/WRIST WEIGHTS EQUIPT Step up your workout game with UWRAPs, a set of high-quality ankle and wrist weights. These are an absolute necessity to burn more calories and tone your legs and arms. UWRAPs are made of black vegan leather and use metal balls instead of sand for extra comfort, a great complement to yoga, cardio, HIIT, and Pilates. They are available in pairs, with 1.5- and 3-lb. options. When you go to purchase the Ubarre, make sure you don’t pass up the UWRAPs.

RECOVERY BALL - NIKE NIKE If you are recovering from an intense workout, throw away your tired old foam roller and try the Nike Recovery Ball. The ultra-portable ball is made of a heavy, high-density material that delivers a deep pinpointed massage to soothe your muscles, relieving soreness on the go. Sized at 5” in diameter, this item fits nicely into your backpack or gym bag.

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RESISTANCE LOOP - NIKE NIKE The Nike Resistance Loop will provide tension to help you flex and grow your muscles. The loop is made of a knit material with interior silicone grips that keep it in place during a workout, unlike most mainstream rubbery bands that easily slip off. Available in small, medium, and large sizes, the loop can be used to target your legs, glutes, biceps, and shoulders.

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Inspired by DESIGN. We believe that beautiful design inspires movement. You reach for what makes you feel good. By revamping traditional strength-training equipment into pieces for everyday living, from the ultimate ankle weight to the perfect at-home workout equipment, we keep you moving all day long. equiptmovement.com

2021 FEELS LIKE

Savannah Dial

TikTok has taken the world by storm over the past year and continues to catapult individuals to fame. Kelianne Stankus is no exception. “I started making videos at the very beginning with my two best friends, Tayler Holder and Nate Wyatt. It took off from there, and it’s been a crazy roller-coaster ride,” she says.

Before Stankus became a TikTok star, she was a competitive gymnast with a dream. “When I was 18, I stopped competing in acrobatic gymnastics. I decided I wanted to move to L.A. with my best friend and tackle this entertainment world,” she explains. “I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do, like where I wanted to land, but I want to do everything.” Combining her love of gymnastics and dance on the popular app has provided Stankus an array of opportunities, including signing with United Talent Agency (UTA) for worldwide representation in all areas. “I’d always wanted to sign with one of the best agencies. My team and my agents over there are absolutely incredible,” she adds.

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KE L I A N N E ST A N KU S

n December 8th, together with Holder and Wyatt, Stankus released a holiday song, “Feels Like Christmas,” launching her career in music. “I’m going to be releasing my own solo music. Currently, I’ve been in the studio, been in writing sessions, and just been working on my music to find my sound and what I want to do, what I want to write about,” she shares.

Moreover, thanks to her and her team’s innovative thinking, Stankus also hints that you may see her acting soon. “We like to think about longevity and think about the future for me, not just the here-andnow,” she says, referring to the plans that have been discussed. “We plan on taking this down the long road and growing my brand to something bigger and better.” On top of that, she has recently debuted her own merch line – By Kelianne – as an addition to the empire she is building. This coming year, she is determined “to live it up, to do everything that I’ve wanted to do and actually go out and do it.” As a matter of fact, this all started in a time of isolation due to the coronavirus crisis, when we did not know if we’d even have a vaccine, whether any therapeutics would work, and whether we’d ever emerge from the shadow of the biggest pandemic of our lifetime. “The fact that I am with my agency now, the fact that I’m even able to release music and people can respond and listen to it, and even where I live – everything has brought me here, where I am today, with so many opportunities, and I’m very grateful and thankful for it,” Stankus says. “It’s definitely taught me not to take things for granted because they can be taken away. Thank you to everyone for supporting me, sharing their kind words with me, it’s been so overwhelming with all the love. I just want to say thank you to everyone out there.” Photographer & Videographer: Haldane Morris Editor: Eiko Watanabe Special thanks to EPK Media (@myepk & @epkmedia - epkmedia.com)

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BADGLEYMISCHKA.COM @BADGLEYMISCHKA @JEWELBADGLEYMISCHKA

AXIS MA Z JOBRANI

MAZ Summer Myatt

In today’s ever-evolving, and often-tumultuous, social and political landscape of America, Maz Jobrani, 48, boldly stays his own course – with refreshingly frank

political humor, an ability to adapt to life’s curveballs, and a little time away from technology. The Iranian-American comedian and actor cemented himself as a household name in 2007 with his boundary-breaking comedy group and international tour: the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour. Repurposing and reclaiming a term originally intended to stoke up fear and create separation, he used his sense of humor to make the immigrant experience universal and touchingly relatable. But he wasn’t always on the course towards a career in the spotlight.

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b orn in Tehran, Iran, Jobrani and his family immigrated to California when he was just 6 years old. Expected to make his parents proud with a career as a doctor or lawyer, he went to UC Berkeley to study political science (and Italian as a minor). But in his first year of a PhD program at UCLA, he realized his calling was somewhere else. “I dropped out of my PhD program the first year I was in it,” he recalls. “And slowly but surely, I ended up working my way back into what my love was – to be on stage and on screen.” Getting his start in the industry in his mid-twenties, he began taking the first steps toward the life he wanted for himself. “The idea was, you live once, and you can’t live for your parents, or for anybody else, you’ve got to pursue your dream. So when I was 26, I decided to get into my dream of being a comedian and actor,” he adds.

And that wasn’t the only time he’d forge his own path in the face of criticism. To Jobrani, infusing politics into his comedy is less of a courageous career choice, and more of an inevitability. Combining his interest in social and political issues with performing and making people laugh, he has found his niche in that space. “I love it if I’m able to do comedy and also have a message,” he shares. “I feel that it’s raising my comedy to another level.” But despite bringing such a lovability to the stage and the screen, he’s found that his jokes might not be for everyone, especially in the divided and politically-charged environment of today. Jobrani’s work is, at its heart, a true expression of himself – and for the most part, he’s unconcerned. “Ultimately, I don’t necessarily set out to write my comedy with the reaction of the fans in mind, other than hoping that they laugh,” he says. “It’s about self-expression, it’s about having a point of view.” Although he tends to unabashedly comment on some pretty serious subject matter, Jobrani challenges himself to conclude on a lighthearted note (“I think as long as you’re ending it with a punchline, you’re still in the comedy game”).

Still packing a punchline, Jobrani has spent his recent days tackling the world of online and socially-distanced performance. With a global lockdown in March, the standup comedy industry has been forced to evolve, and Jobrani has found a way to adapt, bringing his signature freshness and pluck to the Zoom screen. However, in a world that becomes increasingly digital, he prioritizes spending plenty of time away from devices and screens to prevent “virtual burnout.” In fact, that’s Jobrani’s most important piece of advice to humankind in our collective recovery and reinvention of society once the pandemic dust settles. Social media has a tendency (and an algorithm) to turn into an echo chamber for like-minded people, and it’s been detrimental to our politics and our society. Jobrani aims to change that and to get people more active in their search for truth. “Get off your phone, try to research stuff before forwarding it, and if you can, go out and be in nature,” he says. Photographer & Videographer: Haldane Morris Editor: Eiko Watanabe Special thanks to EPK Media (@myepk & @epkmedia - epkmedia.com)

I THINK AS LONG AS YOU’RE ENDING IT WITH A PUNCHLINE, YOU’RE STILL IN THE COMEDY GAME.

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HEA time to

Little coat, ADOLFO DOMINGUEZ. Trousers, ADOLFO DOMINGUEZ. Ring, JMUM. Tulle T-Shirt, ZARA. Boots, PULL&BEAR. Knit scarf, ZARA.

P H OT O GR A P H E R S & ART DIRECTORS: LA DICHOSA

Models: Yarlin Mateo (for UNO MODELS) & Júlia Fort (for UNO MODELS) Stylist: Rosa Bouzas Stylist Assistant: Maya Salvato Hair & Makeup: Agustina De Veras

Short coat, ADOLFO DOMINGUEZ. Trousers, TXELL MIRAS. Pullover, ZARA. Boots, ZARA.

Dress, DEVOTA & LOMBA. Boots, ZARA.

On Yarlin: Short coat, ADOLFO DOMINGUEZ. Trousers, TXELL MIRAS. Pullover, ZARA. Boots, ZARA. On Júlia: Ring, JMUM.

Shirt, TXELL MIRAS. Skirt, TXELL MIRAS. Ring, JMUM. Boots, ZARA. Scarf, ZARA.

Shirt, TXELL MIRAS. Skirt, TXELL MIRAS. Ring, JMUM.

M AG G I E L I N DE M A N N

PARANOIA OF

E G N A CH Jacqueline Kirk

Singer-songwriter Maggie Lindemann has changed her sound dramatically. Since starting her career in music at age 16, she’s found remarkable success as a pop artist with singles like “Couple of Kids,” “Pretty Girl,” and “Obsessed.” Now, she has done something (a.k.a. her upcoming EP, PARANOIA, due out January 22nd) for the rock- and punk-loving patrons, a path that feels truer to herself and that can no longer be pushed off. “I’d ask myself, ‘Are people going to get it?’ But if you’re not doing what you love, why would you even do it? This is the type of music I loved and actually listened to in high school, so making it now feels so different. And, like, I know what I’m talking about,” she says. “This feels more authentic, more like myself, and it’s also more fun.”

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h er music has taken on deep personal meaning – and even more specifically, she finds that this is where she can be vulnerable enough to put herself out there. “I don’t like to give a lot of myself away,” Lindemann contends. “On social media, I keep it surface-level. I like to express myself only in my music, that’s where I’m able to say what I want to say, the way I want to say it. It feels like the only place where I’m able to have that connection.”

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M AG G I E L I N DE M A N N

he sole means of communication between Lindemann and her fans aptly celebrates the creative process. “I always say, my sessions are like therapy sessions. I’d go in and talk my head off about what I would be struggling with in that week, or that month, and then we’d make a song,” she explains. “I listen to that song, and then I heal through that. When the songs are actually out, I feel like I’m healed.” When asked to choose a song that exemplifies this point, she immediately picks “Different” from the new EP. “‘Different’ is definitely the most emotional song on the EP, the rawest emotion, and the one I connect to the most. It was my way of healing from a terrible situation that had happened. I was in such a bad place, I was so anxious, so on edge, and the session really helped me get out what I needed to say,” she adds. “At this point, I’m very comfortable with being in my emotions.” While being extremely powerful and universally relevant, creativity has been known to be a healing force to ground a person in a time of adversity. Having openly struggled with mental-health issues through much of her career, Lindemann is no stranger to coping with difficult emotional states. “When I was really depressed, I didn’t know how to handle it, I just wanted to be happy. I was always thinking, ‘I wish I didn’t feel like this,’” she shares. “Now, I feel like I’ve been through so many different things that I’m just more comfortable with being in my sadness – I know it’s going to pass now. So it’s about sitting with it and not getting mad at yourself, and just letting it be until it’s not.” Reflecting on 2020 and plenty of lessons learned along the way, she points a finger at both sides of the coin: “This year, we’ve had so much time to think, and that can be really bad and really good. I feel like I’ve been going crazy, but at the same time, I’m having to deal with things that maybe I wouldn’t have dealt with, ever,” she affirms.

Photographer & Videographer: Haldane Morris Editor: Eiko Watanabe Special thanks to EPK Media (@myepk & @epkmedia - epkmedia.com)

IF YOU'RE NOT DOING WHAT YOU LOVE, WHY WOULD YOU EVEN DO IT?

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S W I X X Z

B Y

M A G G I E

L I N D E M A N N

S W I X X Z . C O M

BIG GOV ERN O R GR E T C HE N W HI T M E R

GRETCH: GENUINE, FOCUSED, AND CONFIDENT Matt Anthes

Having earned the nickname of Big Gretch in Detroit and on social media, Gretchen Whitmer has broad statewide appeal. Described by those who know her as a true Michigander, she is a self-described progressive. Born and raised in Michigan, she has spent her entire life in the Great Lakes State, attending Michigan State University, where she received both her B.A. and J.D. In 2000, she was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives, winning re-election in 2002 and 2004, before becoming a state senator in 2006. She subsequently served two terms in the state Senate (and made history as the first female Democratic leader from 2011 through 2015) and left due to term limits.

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GOV E R N O R GR E T C HE N W HI T M E R

hortly afterward, in 2016, Whitmer was selected to serve the remaining six months of the then-outgoing Ingham County prosecutor, Stuart Dunnings III, after he was arrested and charged with prostitution-related crimes and willful neglect of duty. During her tenure, she brought stability to the office and left the position upon expiration of her term on December 31, 2016. A mere three days later, on January 3, 2017, Whitmer filed paperwork and announced she would run for governor of Michigan. In August 2018, she captured the Democratic nomination for governor, winning all 83 counties in the Democratic primary and securing 52% of the vote – more than 20 percentage points ahead of the next closest competitor. She went on to defeat then-Attorney General Bill Schuette in the general election, capturing 53% of the vote – winning the governorship by nearly 10 percentage points and outperforming then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s 2016 turn with nearly every demographic. “After the 2016 election, I decided I was going to get right into the race for governor. I filed on January 3rd, before Trump was even sworn in,” she shares. “We were reeling from the results in the presidential election, and I was looking around, and I said, ‘I’ve got to show up everywhere, I’ve got to get to all 83 counties and run a campaign that is person-to-person, well, as much as it can be in a state of 10 million people, and stay focused on the issues that really matter,’ because when you show up like that, you do not get distracted by things that maybe are not front and center for voters – you stay focused.” Everywhere she went, from the Upper Peninsula to downtown Detroit, Michiganders articulated their frustration regarding infrastructure problems. “People would say, ‘I just want you to fix the damn roads,’” she says. “And that became the clarion call of the campaign – we’re going to ‘fix the damn roads.’ It was not poll-tested, it was not something that I came up with, it was what I heard from the people

of Michigan. When you show up and show people who you really are – that you care about them, and that you’re willing to listen to them and work on the things that are going to improve their lives – that brings people out and gives them confidence in you and earns their support. Speaking the truth and being genuine, that’s what people want.” 2020 has been a memorable year for Governor Whitmer, making a lot of national headlines. She was selected to deliver the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address in February. Over the summer, it was rumored that then-presidential candidate Joe Biden was seeking a woman to be his 2020 running mate, and Whitmer was on the shortlist, while serving as a national co-chair of Biden’s campaign. In October, it was revealed that the FBI had uncovered a kidnapping plot against Whitmer by two militia groups. During the month of November, she dealt with some lawsuits filed against Michigan by the Trump campaign and Republican voters in an attempt to contest the presidential election results. To say that it has been a challenging year for Whitmer would be an understatement. As it relates to COVID-19, she was quick to act. Her initial focus was on limiting the spread by protecting the most vulnerable populations across the state. She took the virus and her responsibility seriously and implemented emergency powers to ensure the safety of all Michiganders. More than 61% of Michigan voters have supported her handling of the pandemic. “Early in our experience with COVID, I was fortunate to have some phenomenally talented people around me. Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, our chief medical executive, is also an emergency-room doctor. She is unflappable. I am not an epidemiologist, I am not a public-health expert, I have a lot of experience in various ways, I’m a lawyer, former lawmaker, former professor, so I found the smartest people I could, and I listened to them,” she says. “This is something that was sorely lacking in the White House – understanding where your talents end, where you need to find people, and listen to them.”

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he has been vocal about what she sees as a lack of a national strategy. Although Michigan had gone through exponential growth over the last couple years, the state struggled to procure PPE, like most states. “The White House essentially told us, ‘Go find it on your own,’” Whitmer contends. A bidding competition between states, private businesses, and the federal government for healthcare supplies needlessly drove up prices in a time of emergency. “Throughout this pandemic, I’ve built stronger relationships with my fellow governors, as we are all confronting similar situations,” she adds. “I think many of us – both Republican and Democratic – would recognize that the inconsistent, erratic, incorrect information that has come out of the White House has undermined our efforts to keep people safe.”

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Michigan was hit hard by COVID-19 early in the pandemic. While New York City remained the epicenter of the nation’s outbreak, other cities like Detroit, New Orleans, and Chicago were being monitored as emerging hotspots. With Detroit seeing a flood of cases, Whitmer had to act aggressively. “The most important thing we could do was to minimize person-to-person contact. The virus does not travel, people travel, so we moved quickly to take action,” she recalls. “We have saved thousands of lives in Michigan. Studies have shown that had we waited a week or a month, or not done anything, like some states, the death toll would have been much higher, and the impact on the economy would have been far worse. Doing the right thing and following science were good for saving lives.” Today, when not focused on the pandemic, Whitmer continues to fight for building equity into the Michigan education system, with an emphasis upon those who need greater support, to level the playing field. In addition, she recently announced a plan for Michigan to be carbon-neutral by 2050 in an effort to reduce the state’s carbon footprint. “That’s really aggressive and something we cannot wait on, we joined the U.S. Climate Alliance in the first days of my administration,” she explains. This past year, Whitmer has received a lot of national attention, creating a sensation both bitter and sweet, but that has made her a better governor, leader, and individual, to fight for and protect the people of Michigan. “When the president singled me out, I did not like it, and I was very worried about what it would mean for me to get help into Michigan. However,

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I knew I was elected to do a job, and I speak what I believe to be the truth, I tell it the way it is. This is a moment where governors have been thrust into the limelight, and none of us want to be in a position where we are making the tough pandemic choices we have to make, but we’re doing it because no one in Washington, D.C., was at the reins,” she asserts. “I am always going to step up when there is a need for leadership. The voters will ultimately decide what all of that means, but any attention that I can get onto the state of Michigan – whether it is in my conversations with Joe Biden, or it is on national television, where I can tell the Michigan story and talk about what’s happening here, or it’s giving the State of the Union response to Donald Trump, as Speaker Pelosi asked – any opportunity I have where I can do something good for the people I serve, I’m going to take it, and I’m never going to apologize for it.” During times of crisis and reinvention, her two dogs, Kevin (named after Kevin Malone from The Office) and Doug (named after Officer Doug Penhall from 21 Jump Street), are constantly underfoot, as she has been working remotely in 2020. The dogs and her two teenage daughters have been her rock through it all. “I was one of the governors that had to cancel my own daughter’s graduation, and that didn’t make me very popular at home,” she laughs. Photographer & Videographer: Bradley Piri Editor: Eiko Watanabe Special thanks to Michigan.gov (@mi_gov - www.michigan.gov) & EPK Media (@myepk & @epkmedia - epkmedia.com)

raw elegance, careless attitude, and feminine sensibility kmbylange.com

M AYO R DAV I D HO LT

DRIVING CHANGE IN OKLAHOMA CITY Matt Anthes

“Most political candidates write off half the population. I wanted to be a mayor for everyone, I embrace that wholeheartedly. One of the four planks of my candidacy was including the diversity of our city into our decision-making process – something that had never been talked about. That word ‘diversity’ had never been used by mayors before,” affirms David Holt, who, in 2014, was named a “rising star” by Chuck Todd, a veteran political reporter and media icon, and was named OKC FRIDAY ’s 2017 OKCityan of the Year. It seemed a fait accompli that he would eventually serve as mayor of his hometown, Oklahoma City (OKC), so no one was surprised when he announced that he would indeed be a candidate in 2018. By securing 78.5% of the vote, he became the youngest mayor elected in OKC since 1923, and the youngest mayor of a U.S. city with a population over 500,000. Although he’s a Republican, OKC is unique in that they have a nonpartisan form of government, and Holt has broad appeal, which stems from his past experiences as an attorney, businessman, political staffer, and state senator. His political experiences are vast, and he has been able to make an impact in both Washington, D.C., and OKC.

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t was in Washington that he cut his teeth in politics. Holt served as an aide to Dennis Hastert when he was the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and then served in the Office of Legislative Affairs under President George W. Bush. After a successful stint in the White House, he returned home to Oklahoma in 2004 to be the state’s coordinator for the Bush re-election campaign. After working for U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe and then-Lieutenant Governor Mary Fallin of Oklahoma, he was appointed chief of staff to then-OKC Mayor Mick Cornett. He was subsequently elected to the state Senate in 2010, and served until he was elected mayor in 2018. When working as Cornett’s chief of staff, Holt’s passion for community, politics, and business all intersected – he found himself in the middle of OKC’s attempts to lure an NBA team to their city. The mayor’s office was at the epicenter of the efforts, leading the successful lobbying, which paved the way for OKC to get the Seattle SuperSonics (thus becoming the Oklahoma City Thunder) – and change the face of OKC in 2008. The relocation was made possible due to the city serving as a temporary home for the New Orleans Hornets when Hurricane Katrina forced the team to relocate for the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 seasons. This was viewed as an audition for OKC, and Holt chronicled every step of their journey in a book, Big League City: Oklahoma City’s Rise to the NBA, to offer an insider’s perspective on how a unified effort of city officials, investors, and community leaders transformed OKC into a vibrant city on the rise. The book has since become part of the

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curriculum in OKC high schools. “Oklahoma City was founded in a day on April 22, 1889, in a land run, and I don’t know if I would say that there has been another positive development in the city’s history since then as significant as the arrival of the National Basketball Association,” he adds. “Having a professional sports team is the closest thing that America has to bestowing a blue ribbon on its toptier cities.” On March 11, 2020, the Oklahoma City Thunder had a profound impact on the world. That evening, their game against the Utah Jazz was called off just minutes before tip-off after a Jazz player tested positive for the coronavirus, and the NBA said the season would go on hiatus indefinitely. “It was at this point that everyone realized COVID-19 was going to impact our lives in a very dramatic way. Even though Oklahoma City was in the news, we didn’t have our first confirmed case until March 15, and it was on that day, within hours, that I called for a state of emergency and began taking steps to mitigate the virus,” Holt recalls. “I can’t imagine that a city moved any faster than ours, but it wasn’t because we were smarter than others. We had the benefit of seeing what was going on at the time in Italy and New York City and Seattle, and we knew we had to act quickly to protect the people of Oklahoma City. On March 17, I closed down bars and restaurants, and will probably go down as one of the only mayors in the U.S. to close bars at 5 p.m. on St. Patrick’s Day – a crazy coincidence that all of that came to a head at that specific moment, as we prioritized the health and wellness of the people of Oklahoma City above all.”

M AYO R DAV I D HO LT

Focused on communicating directly and being transparent with the people of OKC, he understands that people get complacent over time, but he has stressed mask-wearing and urged everyone to work together. In fact, this mindset of togetherness and inclusion, even from a distance, has set Holt apart from his predecessors. As the first Native-American mayor of OKC, he’s embraced and highlighted the diversity of the population; for example, he has instituted Indigenous Peoples’ Day, honored and celebrated the LGBTQ community, and welcomed immigrants. Regarding the long-term evolution of OKC, he says that the population was getting more diverse, but leadership in decision-making roles was not changing. “60% of people under 18 are non-white, and that will probably shock some people. We need to bring people in, be inclusive, and create a shared vision for the city that includes everyone, and not wait for that to become some sort of powder keg,” explains Holt, who, on his first day in office,

removed all the photos of former mayors from the mayor’s conference room. “It was a room full of old white guys, and I respectfully moved them down the hall and replaced them with 20 pictures of Oklahoma City kids that were demographically representative of Oklahoma City’s population,” he says, adding that he wants to change the direction of the city’s government and bring more voices to boards and commissions. While Holt is dedicated to his job, it’s his relationship with his wife and kids that brings him the most joy. “I find great fulfillment in serving, but I know that in the blink of an eye, I’ll be a has-been and that if I live long enough, no one will come to my funeral,” he jokes. Photographers & Videographers: Leia & Shane Smethurst Editor: Eiko Watanabe Special thanks to EPK Media (@myepk & @epkmedia - epkmedia.com)

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VALUE DRIVEN MAY O R EMILY L A R SO N

Matt Anthes

Mayor Emily Larson of Duluth, who is a snowboarder and ice climber, likes pushing herself to try new things and “being a little bit afraid.” It’s this approach that got her into politics to make a difference in her community. “People may not like my decisions, and they may not like me, but they will know I stand for something, and they will know that I stand with values,” she says.

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port city located at the westernmost tip of Lake Superior, Duluth is one of Minnesota’s top tourist destinations in the summertime (the city’s tourism industry has had a rough year, but otherwise it attracts about 6.7 million tourists every year). It’s also worth noting that politics in Minnesota is different. The Democratic Party does not exist in Minnesota as it does throughout the rest of the country. In 1944, Minnesota’s Democratic Party merged with its left-wing Farmer-Labor Party to become the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Originally from St. Paul, Larson attended the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, the city that has become her home. For 12 years, she worked as a social worker helping those who had experienced homelessness, as well as people with low to no income. “I loved that work. It was value-driven and was really focused on the collective good. I became acutely aware that there were underlying root causes of the families standing in front of me,” she recalls. While obtaining her master’s degree, Larson wanted to further explore and examine, with more intensity, the root causes and policy solutions, which eventually led her to work on and manage political and issue-based campaigns. In 2011, there was an open city-council seat in Duluth. Larson did not see any candidates in the race who she thought represented the experience that she had or the experience that many women in her community needed. Seeing a void in the candidate pool, she decided to try her hand at politics. “Stepping into the decision to run, it was not natural for me,” she shares. “When I sought to recruit someone for the seat, I was challenged by people in my life asking, ‘Why are you thinking about someone else when you are capable of doing?’ Instead of asking myself why I should run, I started asking myself, ‘Why shouldn’t I run?’ I am grateful that I had the courage to run, be myself, and serve with both dignity and authenticity.”

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A member of the Minnesota Democratic-FarmerLabor Party, she won an at-large seat as the top votegetter on the city council, a campaign that launched her political career. She served as the president of the Duluth City Council, and in 2016, became the first female mayor in the city’s history, winning with nearly 72% of the vote. She was then re-elected in 2019, securing roughly 64% of the vote. To say that she is a popular mayor would be an understatement. “I took a sideways path into politics, I never set out to run for office,” Larson asserts. “I was raised in a household that was very active. We participated in boycotts and marches, and as I became an adult, it became clear to me that participating in my democracy wasn’t really a choice – it was a question of how I would do it and where I wanted to have impact.” This past year has been a challenge for her as a mayor, and she feels strongly about enforcing the publichealth guidance put out by the state of Minnesota. “I’ve made a lot of choices that are very difficult for me personally, as a parent, as a daughter, as a wife, as a community member, and all of those roles blend together this year. You cannot decouple your experience outside of the job from your experience in it,” explains Larson, who, in April, penned a column in the Duluth News Tribune titled “Duluth’s spirit isn’t canceled for COVID-19,” which inspired residents to help one another and get through these troubling times together. They listened – they stayed home and practiced social distancing as the community took the virus seriously. For a while, Minnesota had the nation’s lowest per-capita infection rate, and then on September 30th, President Trump held a campaign rally in Duluth, where between 2,500 and 3,000 people showed up – they stood shoulder-to-shoulder, many without masks. A month later, the Minnesota Department of Health reported three COVID-19 outbreaks related to the campaign events held in the state in September.

“This year has been extremely strenuous and is a year that has pushed me to my limits in terms of capacity and strength of focus and vision. On one hand, it is the hardest I have ever worked, and it is just non-stop, 7 days a week, and it is all day long. On the other hand, it has a very clear focus and vision. The vision is very clear on what we need to do, what our objectives are, what we need to accomplish, and what I don’t have clarity on yet is the path through COVID, the full path through this intersection of racial awareness and racial reckoning, this intersection through financial insecurity and high unemployment,” she contends. “A crisis makes everything abundantly clear – you go into your mode, and you get into your rhythm and habit of doing things, and your team does the same. There are variables you can impact to make lives better, and decisions that can be made that lift people up and bring them together.” In January 2020, Senator Tina Smith – who had praised Larson for her good work, particularly her commitment to increasing affordable housing in Duluth – invited her to the State of the Union as her guest. Larson’s dedication and approach inspired the senator to conduct a statewide listening tour to address and tackle disparities in housing and homelessness. “I admire Senator Smith, and what I have learned from her is to pick the right work that matters,” Larson says. “There can always be quick wins that a community can see, but the lasting work is the work that makes a difference in people’s lives. If you are doing good work, the people that need to know will know. You do not have to be out there tooting your own horn. Do good work, and if you are doing good work and making a difference, people notice.” Photographer & Videographer: Erin Wakefield Editor: Eiko Watanabe Special thanks to EPK Media (@myepk & @epkmedia - epkmedia.com)

However, Larson’s focus on community-building through the pandemic continues to unify people.

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THROUGH PERSEVERANCE, A

LEADER

RISES Matt Anthes

On the banks of the Chesapeake Bay, a deep-blue state had elected the second Republican governor in more than 40 years. In 2014, The Washington Post called it a stunning upset. Larry Hogan, the son of a former congressman, toppled the state’s popular lieutenant governor, Anthony G. Brown, to become the 62nd governor of Maryland. Four years later, he made history, becoming only the second Republican governor in state history to be re-elected and the first since 1954.

Back in 1981, at the age of 24, Hogan ran for Congress in a special election to fill the seat once occupied by his father. Although he finished second of twelve candidates in the Republican primary, he lost by nearly 41 points, a defeat that humbled him. In 1992, he tried again, and this time, he was the Republican nominee for the seat he lost eleven years prior. Unfortunately, the outcome was the same, losing to incumbent Congressman Steny Hoyer. In that race, Hogan was outspent by Congressman Hoyer (by a 6-to-1 margin), but he made a name for himself: Larry Hogan became the only challenger to come close to defeating Hoyer since he was first elected in 1981.

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rom 2003 to 2007, Hogan served as Maryland’s secretary of appointments in the cabinet of Republican Governor Bob Ehrlich, and that’s when things changed. His path to the Government House, better known as the Governor’s Mansion, was paved as he pitched himself to voters as a businessman focused on the economy and jobs. He founded Change Maryland, a non-profit, antitax organization that served as a springboard to his 2014 election (“The organization had just as many Democrats and independents as it had Republicans”). During his first year in office as a governor, Hogan was faced with a challenge of a different kind, and one that he never expected. On June 22, 2015, he announced he had been diagnosed with stage-three non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The diagnosis was a gut punch, but something he was committed to fighting. After nearly 18 weeks of intensive chemotherapy, he announced he was in remission before declaring he was cancer-free in the fall of 2016. Up until this point in his life, Hogan has persevered through political losses and become a true survivor. Today, halfway through his second – and final – term, there is much left to accomplish. He is a pragmatist who would be happy to leave his state in a better way than he found it, hoping that people will look back and say that he was a governor who was willing to work toward bipartisanship to devise common-sense solutions to some of the state’s biggest problems. When asked about his 2014 win, Hogan takes a deep

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breath and opines, “In 2014, Maryland was the bluest state in America. Most people didn’t give me much of a chance. It is the first elective office I’ve ever held and I approached it with vigor.” This mindset is why he maintains broad appeal throughout the state today. Hogan’s leadership approach is a commitment to building relationships and forging civil discussions focused on pragmatic solutions. He understands that all Marylanders do not agree with him, nor should they. However, while Democratic leaders make up 70 percent of the state’s legislature, he is making serious inroads. “People are crying out for bipartisanship. I’m a believer in a bigger tent, and coming up with a message people can agree upon rather than things that divide us,” he says. This year, his leadership has been challenged mightily as COVID-19 became all-encompassing. Hogan is frank and honest about how much of a struggle it has been. “No one was prepared for something like this, no one was really ready, we were all caught flat-footed. PPE acquisition was difficult, but we persevered, and we have an emergency stockpile today,” he shares. “We have all learned a lot from this pandemic, and we’ll all be better prepared moving forward.” However, it is important to note that the Johns Hopkins University researchers predicted 12,000 Maryland deaths by June 1, 2020, but the mitigation actions under Hogan’s leadership led to aggressive efforts, and as of press time on December 25, there have been 5,627 deaths in total (“I took it very seriously early with aggressive action to stop the spread and mitigate”).

People are crying out for bipartisanship. I’m a believer in a bigger tent, and coming up with a message people can agree upon rather than things that divide us.

He feels his chairmanship of the National Governors Association helped him prepare (the new chair has been Governor Andrew M. Cuomo of New York since August). At this past February’s NGA winter meeting, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci (director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) and Dr. Robert R. Redfield (director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) – who are now household names – briefed the governors on the potential of the pandemic. It was then that he realized the severity of the infectious disease and the impact it could have; therefore, when the first cases were identified in Maryland, he was quick to act. He worked closely with Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser, both Democrats, to take a bipartisan approach to devise restrictions and regional communications. The approach dealt with shutdowns, travel between jurisdictions, forbidden travel, as well as working closely with Delaware on beach closures. This bipartisan approach of the regional leaders helped stabilize the D.C. metropolitan region, and it ultimately saved lives, bringing the jurisdictions closer together in crisis.

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Hogan realizes COVID-19 will define his legacy. He is reflective of his time in office but appropriately focused on the task at hand. “I want to give this job everything I’ve got. I haven’t given thought to what’s next. I have a job to finish,” he says. “We’re still in a state of emergency, still focusing on economic recovery, and my goal is to do the best job I can for the people who elected me.” He understands that his top priority is to keep Marylanders safe, but leaves us with a teaser: “I know that I would like to be a part of the discussion nationally, especially around how we improve our partisan politics and how we find a way to bring the country together. I think I have something to offer the discussion – because if we can accomplish that here in our state of Maryland, there’s almost no state in America where that can’t be done,” he affirms. Photographer & Videographer: Joanna Tillman Editor: Eiko Watanabe Special thanks to the Maryland State House (msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdstatehouse/html/home.html) & EPK Media (@myepk & @epkmedia - epkmedia.com)

MAY O R M I C HAE L B . HA N C O C K

FROM HUDDLES TO MILE HIGH MAYOR Matt Anthes

In 2003, Michael B. Hancock was elected to the Denver City Council. His experience as the president of the Urban League of Metropolitan Denver, as well as jobs at the Denver Housing Authority and the National Civic League piqued his interest in helping others. His 8-year stint on the city council was impactful. Selected by his peers, he served two terms as its president from 2006 to 2008. He gained in popularity as he oversaw the successful implementation of several key programs, including the Denver preschool initiative, and the largest infrastructure-improvement effort Denver had ever seen.

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t was his achievement and some good fortune and luck that opened up the opportunity for Hancock to run for mayor in 2010. In that year, dominos began falling when Colorado’s then-governor decided not to seek re-election – and that created a cascade effect. First, the rumored front-runner for the position, Ken Salazar, the Obama-era Secretary of the Interior, decided he would not enter the race. Secondly, Salazar endorsed John Hickenlooper, then-mayor of Denver, for governor. Five days later, Hickenlooper announced a bid for the governorship – and therefore an open race for mayor was underway. Hancock emerged from a crowded field to finish among the top two candidates to force a runoff. He won by capturing 58% of the vote – to become the city’s second Black mayor – and was inaugurated as the 45th mayor of Denver on July 18, 2011. He rose to the challenge, and after a successful first term, he was re-elected in 2015, winning a landslide victory with over 80% of the vote. He subsequently won re-election to a third term in 2019. “Since the age of 13, this was the job I wanted,” he recalls. “I was introduced to the mayor of Denver at that time, and I said, ‘I want to do this job one day.’” As one of ten kids, raised by a single mother in public housing, Hancock has an innate desire to solve problems for the betterment of all. His background has helped him stay grounded and focus on the task at hand, and his faith has supported him every step of the way. “Faith is paramount, I could not do this job if I did not acknowledge a higher being. It’s never about me. In my mind and in my heart, I believe my steps are ordered,” he affirms. He has found 2020 to be the most challenging of his career and does not mince words when explaining the impact COVID-19 has had on him and the city of Denver. “This has been a very difficult year for me as a mayor and for the city. We have seen, for the last ten months, our lives, our plans absolutely torpedoed due

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to this virus. Nothing trumps the responsibility we have, to save the city, to address the health and safety, and threats to the people of Denver,” Hancock states. While his citywide popularity has soared, Hancock is currently in his last term as mayor. His “awareness of and maintaining a pulse on the city and the electorate have been important” for him to achieve sustained success. “I come to serve, and I must understand what the people need and want,” he adds. “I have a sense of what the people of my city desire. It’s important to never forget that I’m a citizen and resident of the city. Sometimes, as elected officials, we tend to remove ourselves from the equation, but it has helped me to sustain my focus on a better tomorrow.” Over the years, Hancock has served in national leadership positions, too – he led the National Conference of Democratic Mayors as the president, and when passing the torch to Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles in early 2020, he was elected as its vice president. Admired by his fellow mayors, he has worked closely with many of them this past year to share information and discuss how others have been dealing with the pandemic. “I have a willingness to never stop learning, I stay in a space of constant education. The chance to seek out and receive advice from other leaders across the country has been a huge asset. Collaboration and information-sharing help inform us,” he says. When asked to reflect on his time in office, including his most meaningful achievement and legacy, Hancock pauses for a moment and says, “Snatching Denver from the economic recession of 2008 and now managing through the economic recession and pandemic of 2020 are things that have made a difference. Taking Denver to the global stage, marketing Denver all over the world, and establishing 13 direct flights to international destinations have opened up Denver’s markets, which was critical to our economic recovery.”

Moreover, Denver has championed the core principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. “We didn’t wait for protests and marches to begin addressing these issues, we’ve been addressing them for years. As mayor, we’ve been trying to create equity and opportunity for all people, particularly underserved communities and people of color and women – I’m proud of that,” Hancock asserts. When Hancock was a rising high-school senior, Charlie Lee, who was a director of public relations and player and community relations for the Denver Broncos, invited him to the team’s training camp to watch them prepare for the upcoming 1986 season. “As I was leaving the facility, Charlie was chasing me down and asked me, ‘How would you like to be Huddles?’ And I looked at him and said, ‘Who is

Huddles?’ He said, ‘Huddles, our mascot. The guy quit on us, and we need a mascot. Would you be willing to wear the uniform and dance in games?’ Then he said the magic words, ‘It pays $100 a game, and you get to be hired out at special events.’ It was easy, I said, ‘I’m in,’” he describes. The Broncos made it to 1987’s Super Bowl XXI, and Hancock was on the field in Pasadena, California. “My favorite memory from that year was dancing for the Broncos on the Rose Bowl field during the Super Bowl,” says Hancock, who’s looking ahead at what the future may hold. Photographer & Videographer: Jay Koepke Editor: Eiko Watanabe Special thanks to City and County of Denver (@therealcityofdenver www.denvergov.org/content/denvergov/en.html) & EPK Media (@myepk & @epkmedia - epkmedia.com)

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GOVE R N O R ASA HU T C HI N SO N

MAKING HISTORY IN ARKANSAS

Matt Anthes

In 1982, at the age of 31, Asa Hutchinson became the youngest U.S. attorney in the country. Appointed by President Reagan for the Western District of Arkansas, he was known for his penchant to seek redress on criminals. Upon prosecuting the Covenant, the Sword and the Arm of the Lord (CSA), a radical white supremacist group, he made a name for himself both in Arkansas and nationwide. Unafraid of getting his hands dirty, he personally negotiated a peaceful resolution to a three-day standoff between the CSA and local, state, and federal officials that made headlines across the country. Looking to leverage his rising popularity, Hutchinson ran for Senate in 1986, but lost to Dale Bumpers, an incumbent Democrat and former governor. He dusted himself off and ran for Arkansas attorney general in 1990, but lost in an extremely tight race. In 1992, Hutchinson saw his brother Tim elected to the House of Representatives. Then, in 1996, Tim decided to run for an open Senate seat, paving the way for Asa to run for Congress to replace his brother. As a result, Tim Hutchinson was elected to the Senate, and at the same time, Asa Hutchinson was elected to the House of Representatives (his first elective office): the only siblings in the history of the Congress to be elected simultaneously to the House and Senate. “Historic moment. Happy that my mom lived to see that event. It was a source of pride for her. She had been out on the campaign trail with my dad, and to see her happy and proud of both her sons meant a lot to me and has lasting memories,” he adds.

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GOVE R N O R ASA HU T C HI N SO N

hile the Hutchinson brothers were in Congress, Asa Hutchinson recalls the first time they voted differently, knowing it would make headlines. “It was trade relations with China. I voted for normal trade relations, and he voted against it,” he says. Additionally, there was an event that stood out to him, which happened during the Clinton impeachment trial. “I was an impeachment manager in the Senate trial, and my brother was on the jury. Senators were supposed to be present under pain of imprisonment but not say anything,” he tells me. “At one point, Tim thought the other side was giving me a hard time, so he jumped up and raised an objection, and everyone just looked stunned at him, thinking, ‘What in the world are you doing?’ He was probably just trying to protect his little brother.” And in 2001, Hutchinson was appointed administer of the Drug Enforcement Administration by President George W. Bush. Confirmed with a 98-1 vote for the appointment, he was held in high esteem by his colleagues. “I was humbled by the respect amongst partisan colleagues and across the aisle,” he shares. “I remember fondly that Democrat John Conyers introduced me to the Senate, praised me, and promoted me as a fair-minded advocate during a very partisan time, and that’s something I’ll never forget.” After 9/11, Hutchinson was subsequently appointed, by unanimous consent, as undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for border and transportation security (the largest division of the DHS when it was formulated). He left office as

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undersecretary in 2005 to return to Arkansas. His return to Arkansas had a purpose. Hutchinson announced his intention to run for governor in 2006, and became the Republican nominee, but he was defeated by then-Attorney General Mike Beebe. After a respite from politics, he decided to run for governor again in 2014. This time, he won with 55% of the vote, the largest total for a Republican in an open-seat gubernatorial race since the end of Reconstruction. After a successful first term, he won re-election by the biggest margin for a Republican gubernatorial candidate in Arkansas history. He strongly believes that his success is due to a bipartisan approach to governing. “I represent all the people of Arkansas, regardless of political persuasion, background, or any other characteristics, and I try to follow that rule as I lead,” says Hutchinson. His background as the first undersecretary of the DHS helped him prepare for the challenges ahead; he never anticipated a pandemic and the struggles that would come along with it. When asked to compare his time fighting terrorism with combating COVID-19, he says that there is no comparison whatsoever. “Fighting terrorism is a long battle. In a similar fashion, the pandemic is not like a tornado that comes and goes, and you pick up the pieces,” Hutchinson explains. “We’ve been in this for 10 months now, and the unpredictable struggle with the pandemic has been the most challenging event for the American public, as well as leaders.”

I REPRESENT ALL THE PEOPLE OF ARKANSAS, REGARDLESS OF POLITICAL PERSUASION, BACKGROUND, OR ANY OTHER CHARACTERISTICS, AND I TRY TO FOLLOW THAT RULE AS I LEAD.

GOVE R N O R ASA HU T C HI N SO N

Through all the ups and downs, he never forgets his roots. He was born in Bentonville, Arkansas, where the Walmart headquarters is located. It was in this town that Sam Walton opened the original Walton’s 5&10 store in 1950, because his wife wanted small-town living. Walmart has since transformed Bentonville and has had a major impact on the state’s economy. Bentonville had a population of 9,000 when Walton was getting his first start. “[There were] probably about 100 stores at that point, but he was the kind of guy that you could go tap on his window on Saturday morning and have a good visit with him,” Hutchinson recalls. “What I learned from Sam in terms of management, in terms of putting the customer first, these are life-long lessons that will help any public official. I have incredible admiration for him. The Walmart legacy has tremendously changed the trajectory of the economy in our state.” With 2-plus years left in office, workforce development and the economy are issues he plans to focus on. However, his top priority is to get through COVID-19 and distribute a vaccine. (The National Governors Association, whose vice chair is Hutchinson, sent a list of questions to the Trump administration in mid-October about how to effectively distribute and administer a COVID-19

vaccine and how the states and federal government would work together.) When he’s not working, Hutchinson can be found at the local gym, playing basketball, every Friday morning. He’s developed a tradition of playing pickup basketball games when he travels globally to market Arkansas. He started the tradition in Cuba, where he played with the Cuban national team. He has also laced up his high-tops in China, Japan, Israel, Germany, Bolivia, and Mexico. While his love for basketball is strong, his passion for change and listening to others is stronger. “Going back to our Founding Fathers, politics has been rough-andtumble. But today, as the media has expanded, the divide has grown. We’ve never had the intensity of division that we have right now. What we have to do is to listen to each other and look for that common ground,” he affirms. Photographer & Videographer: Demetrius McCullough Editor: Eiko Watanabe Special thanks to Arkansas.gov (@arkansasgov portal.arkansas.gov) & EPK Media (@myepk & @epkmedia - epkmedia.com)

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REP RE S E N T AT I V E C A R O LYN B . M A LO N E Y

A TRAILBLA ZING CONGRESSWOMAN OF

FIRSTS Matt Anthes

Born in North Carolina and raised in Virginia, Carolyn B. Maloney visited New York City after finishing college, and has never looked back since. She settled in as a teacher, and then became an administrator for the New York City Board of Education. After 7 years in the city, she migrated from education to politics, landing a job in the New York state legislature – holding senior positions in the state Assembly and the state Senate.

REP RE S E N T AT I V E C A R O LYN B . M A LO N E Y

n 1982, Maloney won a city council race, defeating incumbent Robert Rodriguez, to become a member of the New York City Council. She was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992, defeating 15-year incumbent Bill Green, who outspent her dramatically (“It was called, at the time, the biggest upset in the nation”). Congresswoman Maloney represented New York’s 14th Congressional District from 1993 to 2013, and has since represented the 12th District after the district lines were redrawn in 2012 based on 2010’s census data (Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez currently represents the 14th District). “When I was growing up, I thought my career goals would be a teacher, a nurse, or a librarian, because those were the only jobs I saw women in. Women were not really elected in any noticeable amounts for public office,” the 74-year-old lawmaker says. “I did become a teacher. I was teaching in East Harlem, teaching highschool equivalency and 8th-grade equivalency [classes] to welfare recipients, helping them get jobs. The program lost its funding, and I became a lobbyist and advocate for the program. It was refunded, but through that experience, I could see the power of government to save a program, to improve people’s lives, to change the direction of many. I went to work for two speakers and the minority leader of the state Senate before I ran for office myself, first for the city council, and then for Congress.” Having represented New York in Congress for nearly three decades, she has led through tumultuous times, including the 9/11 attacks, Hurricane Sandy, 2008 financial crisis, and now the COVID-19 pandemic. “COVID is the worst thing I’ve ever lived through, and we were at the epicenter and the city that was the most hard-hit by COVID early on with so many deaths and so many people suffering. A lot of what my life was like was responding to COVID as a congressperson,” Maloney shares. “At first, we did not have enough hospital beds, and worked with the governor to get more hospital beds. During the crisis, I went to work and tried to solve the problems we faced. I introduced

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and have been working on the Pandemic Risk Insurance bill to create a long-range framework for business interruption insurance that would cover a pandemic, and I hope that bill will pass in the first 100 days of the Biden administration.” In March and April, Maloney organized Fashion for the Front Lines, a coalition of New York City designers, manufacturers, and leaders, to support the manufacturing of much-needed PPE (“We had people going to work in garbage bags”) – which transformed the Garment District factories that were at risk of shuttering due to the pandemic into local manufacturers of masks and gowns for frontline medical professionals across New York City. “I am proud of New York’s fashion industry for quickly pivoting to virtual shows and for being leaders for our city,” she adds. “New York is best in a crisis. We work together, and we achieve incredible goals, and my favorite part of the whole response to the pandemic is, at 7 o’clock, when everyone in New York hangs out their windows, beats on their pots, and claps for the first responders – the frontline workers that are out there risking their lives every day.” Throughout her career, Maloney has been a woman of firsts: the first woman to represent New York’s current 12th Congressional District, the first woman to represent New York City’s 7th Council District (and becoming the first woman to give birth while in office), the first woman to chair the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress, and first woman to chair the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform. “I’ve been the first woman to hold many positions, and I’ve seen advances for women tremendously in my lifetime. I was elected in 1992 – the Year of the Woman – when many people voted for women candidates,” she recalls. “It was one of the thrills of my lifetime to walk down the aisle to be sworn into Congress with the largest class of women legislators ever at that time.”

REP RE S E NTAT I V E C A R O LYN B . M A LO N E Y

Maloney believes that bipartisanship is the key to lasting legislation: She has been involved in landmark legislation, and one of the first bills she worked on in Congress was the Violence Against Women Act, originally introduced by then-Senator Joe Biden. “Some of the bills that I’ve authored and passed have made a big difference in people’s lives in terms of New York – the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, the Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act, and the Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights Act, a bill that saves consumers $10 billion per year by cutting down on unfair and deceptive practices,” she says. “My Debbie Smith bill has been called the most important anti-rape bill ever, providing funds to states to process DNA, and using DNA to both exonerate and convict rapists and put them behind bars if they are guilty. Just this year, I passed for the first time paid parental leave for all 2.2 million federal workers, and have legislation in to expand that to the community at large. I worked on a very important bill, the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, which helped New York rebuild after 9/11.”

One of her goals when she entered Congress was to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, something she is still working on to this day. “We’ve never passed the Equal Rights Amendment, and I still have that goal out there to achieve,” affirms Maloney, whose work has been featured in Karney Hatch’s Overdrawn! and the PBS documentary, FRONTLINE, as well as in a Lifetime movie on the Debbie Smith Act, A Life Interrupted. Moreover, her book, Rumors of Our Progress Have Been Greatly Exaggerated: Why Women’s Lives Aren’t Getting Any Easier--And How We Can Make Real Progress For Ourselves and Our Daughters, has been used as a textbook in the field of women’s studies. Oh, also, she is a black-belt holder. “That’s another first, I don’t think another woman member of Congress has a black belt in taekwondo,” she notes. Photographer: Ron Contarsy (for Highmark Studios) Photographer Assistant: Brandon Young Editor: Eiko Watanabe Special thanks to EPK Media (@myepk & @epkmedia - epkmedia.com)

It was one of the thrills of my lifetime to walk down the aisle to be sworn into Congress with the largest class of women legislators ever at that time.

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BIG

D R E A M

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R E VE R E ND A L S H A R P T O N

THE

FIRST AL SHARPTON Summer Myatt

It takes a stalwart champion to commit to a lifetime of hard work: relentlessly serving others and boosting social mobility for the least privileged among us. Heading steadily uphill, this kind of work is a bold yet thankless task, often considered life-threateningly dangerous, but countless marginalized voices rely on these leaders to stand up in their place. Incredibly impassioned and exceptionally resilient, Reverend Al Sharpton is that individual. It’s a chilly November morning in New York City and a day after David Dinkins, the city’s first Black mayor, passed away. Reflecting on the life and legacy of his longtime friend as the forward-looking hero of Harlem, Sharpton keeps fighting the good fight. The civil-rights leader, Baptist minister, political activist, and TV and radio host has been the voice of the people and ever-outspoken advocate for justice, who has taken a stand against the racial injustices for decades already, but his work is not over.

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RE V E R E N D A L SHA R PT O N

orn in Brooklyn, New York, in 1954, Alfred Charles Sharpton Jr. grew up in the church, while the fight for equality was exploding in the 1960s, a galvanizing moment for the American civil-rights movement. In adolescence, when the cultural icons of the era sparked inspiration for him, Sharpton found his true calling. “As I got toward my teen years, I became mesmerized by watching the news and talk shows, seeing Adam Clayton Powell and Martin Luther King,” he recalls. “But when I was growing up in the movement, I didn’t want to be the next Jesse Jackson, or the next Dr. King, I wanted to be the first Al Sharpton.” Even at a young age, his vision of his role in the revolution was broad and far-reaching; he didn’t just want to lead a church, he wanted to lead a movement. Little did he know that he would do just that and become a modern-day cultural icon – founding a non-profit, the National Action Network, hosting MSNBC’s PoliticsNation and his own radio show, Keepin' It Real, and releasing books, including Rise Up: Confronting a Country at the Crossroads. The world is undoubtedly familiar with the impact and legacy of society’s movers and shakers, but often overlooked and underappreciated are the brave advocates, who take up the torch and keep marching – even after all of the hype dies down. “Part of what you must do is win things, but then also sustain them,” Sharpton asserts. “A lot of people talk about when Dr. King and John Lewis got the Voting Rights Act started, which was good, but then we had to maintain it, those of us who came behind them. And we did, and now that’s the fight.” In today’s turbulent and uncertain social and political climate, the tremors of a revolution can be felt across almost every facet of life, but Sharpton believes that progress and healing can only happen when we harness that energy and convert it into real, tangible change. “Even if you can’t immediately change people’s hearts, you can change their behavior if you deal with laws, and that’s when the revolution comes. Revolution is when you change the boundaries of behavior in a society,” he adds. “The healing has to

come through legislation and then reconciliation, but you cannot have healing while leaving the injured out of the healing process and leaving the poison in the wound. You need legislation to take the poison out of the wound – and then you need the injured and the injurer to be able to reconcile.” Always keeping his finger on the pulse of society, Sharpton is fully aware of the historically precarious and often controversial space he occupies between religion and politics in America. More often than not, in a country founded on the principle of the separation of church and state, the two share the same sphere of influence, especially with topics like a woman’s right to choose and same-sex marriage. “I believe that my religion requires me to fight for justice, my religion requires me to seek fairness for everyone, and my religion also requires me to reconcile,” he shares. “But it also means that I don’t have the right to impose my religion on others. I can practice it through my activism, but part of my activism must be to give people the right to practice whatever religion they believe in. I think that’s where we’ve got to have a peaceful coexistence – that we accept people who operate out of religious passion, but we do not legislate based on religion, we legislate based on what is just and fair for everyone.” As for the next generation of leaders that he hopes will rise from the proverbial ashes of this past year, Sharpton has a few pieces of advice for them: “There’s a difference between people that can galvanize and people that can organize. Find out exactly what it is that you’re going to organize around. You cannot have an arrival without a destination. Don’t be somebody’s imitator. Be someone that can emulate the principles you believe in and the message that you’ve learned from others, but be you. Because at the end of the day, that’s all you’re going to be anyway,” he affirms. Photographer: Ron Contarsy (for Highmark Studios) Photographer Assistant & Videographer: Brandon Young Editor: Eiko Watanabe Special thanks to MSNBC (@msnbc - www.msnbc.com) & EPK Media (@myepk & @epkmedia - epkmedia.com)

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I DIDN’T WANT TO BE THE NEXT JESSE JACKSON, OR THE NEXT DR. KING, I WANTED TO BE THE FIRST AL SHARPTON.

S H AU N E T T E R E N É E W I L SO N

PRINCES SHE/HER/HERS/

Summer Myatt

If you’re familiar with the work of Shaunette Renée Wilson, you most likely recognize the actress from her role in 2018’s box-office-busting cultural sensation, Black Panther, or as the brilliant surgeon, Dr. Mina Okafor, in the FOX series, The Resident. Her bold, confident personality sparkles on the screen and brings a captivating fusion of grit and lovability to each of her roles. But if you only know Wilson for her acting chops, you’re just seeing a fraction of the incredible artistry, creativity, and vision she has to offer. Born in Guyana, the actress, photographer, director, and visionary is a burgeoning talent, a multi-disciplinary artist, and a force to be reckoned with – and she’s only just begun to make her mark.

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w ilson took her first dive into the world of acting, almost by chance, in high school. “I was like, ‘Let me just try out acting,’” she says of her choice to enroll in a theater course, which was “very wacky and random” for her at the time. “I took class with a woman who eventually became a great mentor of mine,” she recalls. “She cast me in my first play, she coached my audition pieces, and I ultimately got into Yale from that. So it was just kind of luck of the draw that I took her class and she championed me along the way.”

S H AU N E T T E R E N É E W I L SO N

uck and chance brought her to the stage, but the complexity, nuance, and depth of experience inherent to acting are what sparked her ongoing interest in the art form. “For me, acting has revealed itself to be an intimate practice,” says Wilson. “It’s like this holistic art to me, everything about your personal being is engaged and is required. I feel like I’ve been inching closer and closer to having this whole enjoyment of a life, because of all these different experiences I’m tackling.” But for Wilson, a career in the spotlight isn’t about her own personal fame, successes, or triumphs; representation, diversity, and inclusion are of paramount importance to her. “The Black experience isn’t a monolith, so I’m advocating for Black women and Black bodies to be complex and odd, and to be the love interest or the ingénue,” she explains. “I’m interested in the roles that haven’t been monopolized yet in our media and our thought. I constantly think about things I haven’t seen before, things that people haven’t really imagined.” In fact, Wilson isn’t waiting for permission to show the world what she’s got. In 2019, she wrote, produced, and directed a short film, Foxx n Wolfe, and in the summer of 2020, she explored her passion and eye for film photography while poignantly documenting the New York protests and marches following the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. “I like looking at or tackling pieces from a larger perspective,” she adds. “You get to focus on and sink your teeth into so many aspects – the design, the tone, the imagery, the sound. And the photography is something so therapeutic. It requires a lot of stillness, a lot of patience. It requires you to really look at things and see them for what they are.” The budding star is dreaming big, but also staying grounded. “I’ve really learned to cherish – cherishing my family, my chosen family, my life, my breath, holding on tightly to the things that matter to me,” Wilson affirms. “Anything can happen at any time, and the world can just be a complete insane mess, so cherishing the things that you hold dear is important.”

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Photographer: Katie Coon Editor: Eiko Watanabe Special thanks to EPK Media (@myepk & @epkmedia - epkmedia.com)

I’VE REALLY LEARNED TO CHERISH – CHERISHING MY FAMILY, MY CHOSEN FAMILY, MY LIFE, MY BREATH, HOLDING ON TIGHTLY TO THE THINGS THAT MATTER TO ME.

G E T T H E L A T E S T C I V I L I A N A P P A R E L O N LY A T C I V I L I A N M A G . C O M / C O L L E C T I O N S / M E R C H

A DAM W AHE E D

TRIBES TO THRIVE Jacqueline Kirk

A DAM W AHE E D

We have seen him in TRIBES, the critically-acclaimed comedic short film, and on a trip to Bali, working with Karmagawa (a non-profit that utilizes social-media channels to fight racism, serve meals, recycle plastic, save endangered species, and build schools), to unveil a new school for underprivileged children. Nurturing a career in content creation since 2016, Adam Waheed now sits among the best in the game. “When I first moved here, I wanted to act, but I couldn’t get an agent or manager, couldn’t get an audition. So I made my own stuff. Then I realized I’m not just an actor, I can write it, shoot it, produce it, direct it. I didn’t know I was able to do that. I’ve learned so much about how to rely on teaching myself,” the comedian-influencer recalls. “There were a couple points where I couldn’t pay rent, where I would post something and it would perform horribly, and I’d doubt myself. I had a college degree, and my mom would be like, ‘What are you doing with your life? Get a real job.’ She didn’t really get it.” Yet despite it all, things took off (and his mother quickly became his biggest fan).

hanks to the popularity of videocontent platforms like TikTok in this current global pandemic, Waheed’s career has skyrocketed this past year. He says that the pandemic has put him in a box, but the challenge has also made him a better creator; making jokes relevant to the current times “takes the seriousness away for a second and lets people come together and sit back and laugh about the times they’re in. I focus on trying to lighten things up and bring humor to the situation. They say some of the best comedies are the biggest tragedies.” Comedy, he says, is a means of connecting people that doesn’t always require proximity. Discussing his own experiences, Waheed wants to offer unwavering positivity to those who need inspiration amid uncertain times. “Positivity is so big. A lot of the reason why I’ve gotten to where I’m now is because I’ve always stayed positive, no matter how bad

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the situation was. I’m a big visualizer,” he says, adding that he writes in a journal at the beginning and end of every day. While writing down goals for the future, he does so as if he’s already achieved them. Naturally, I ask him which so far has been the most satisfying to cross off. “Build a school,” he responds. With the help of his followers, he was able to raise money through his social-media channels, and build a school (called The Adam Waheed School) in Bali from the ground up. “It’s in a community where they don't have any buildings. When you go out to those communities, sending clothes or food is great, but it’s [like putting] a BAND-AID. I’m a big advocate for education,” he asserts. Photographer & Videographer: Haldane Morris Editor: Eiko Watanabe

Special thanks to EPK Media (@myepk & @epkmedia - epkmedia.com)

I G. B SO SON S I T Y E R E A TO I V I IT F TH TEN S O P OT O G OT IS YS W E L A Y I’ V M NO LWA WH ERE I’ I’ VE AVE, NO E WHCAUSE OSITI AD TH BE YED PHOW BS. I’M A STATTER N WA . MA UATIO LIZER SIT VISUA BIG

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TALK R U SSE L L T OV E Y

I N S P I R AT I O N Summer Myatt

R U SSE L L T OV E Y

n mid-March, when the pandemic spread at the global level and lockdowns took effect, the world panicked. Retail stores ran out of dry goods and toilet paper, and a new breed of fear popped up into human emotion. But leaders and innovators came out of that turmoil and chaos: brave frontline healthcare workers, community-support figures, and artists. Russell Tovey, 39-year-old British actor and arts aficionado, identified a gap in the arts world and had a plan to fill it, amplifying and celebrating marginalized voices from around the world through his multifaceted work. With credits like BBC Three’s Being Human, BBC One and HBO’s Years and Years, and Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning play Angels in America, Tovey’s resume showcases not only his acting chops, but also his impressively wide range of styles. Always hungry for a challenge, he seeks out roles that simultaneously pushes him as an artist and gives him an opportunity to diversify his knowledge of the human experience. “I like to really try and understand the psychology of humanity – what we do to one another, and how we treat one another, and I like exploring that in art,” says Tovey, who recently appeared as a police officer in Sky Arts’ No Masks, telling the stories of real-life frontline staff in East London at the peak of the pandemic. Tovey’s new four-part ITV thriller, The Sister, will hit the U.S. on Hulu on January 22nd. He plays a troubled man with a dark secret, plagued by guilt and confusion, but in today’s climate, he’s ready to focus on the brighter side of things. “It’s about balance, and still playing authentic characters that have depth and emotion, but I’d quite like to play something more buoyant next,” he admits. “We want something that’s more joyful, and to put some good, happy stuff in the world, because there might be a lot of darkness going forward. So entertainment’s responsibility now is to bring light to that darkness.”

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Moreover, featuring interviews and chats with big names in the world of contemporary art, Tovey’s podcast, Talk Art, has enjoyed success. “You know that everyone else is in lockdown, so no one’s got an excuse, and we managed to just get so many amazing interviews,” he recalls, referring to his and co-host Robert Diament’s adaptation to the new normal. “We were really driven to encapsulate a moment in time, in culture. So in some ways, having that experience has been an amazing opportunity for us to access so many other voices and cultures that we may never have accessed.” For Tovey, being an artist is more than a career, or a passion – it’s a responsibility, and one that he doesn’t take lightly. “Creative people don’t sit around and wait for things to blow over, and then go back to what happened before,” he says. “We forge ahead, we adapt, we change, and we work out what we can do with what we’re presented. What I’ve always found inspiring with artists is that we always keep going ahead, and we always keep telling stories.” It’s clear to the whole world that moving forward – from the pandemic, from social unrest, from these unprecedented times we’ve found ourselves in – won’t be easy or quick. But Tovey is confident that compassion and support will win out. “Art is the quickest way for humans to connect to other humans. It is the storytelling of humanity,” he affirms. “We have to be empathetic, and we have to be open to everyone’s story.” Photographer: Owen James Vincent Editor: Eiko Watanabe Special thanks to EPK Media (@myepk & @epkmedia - epkmedia.com)

ART IS THE QUICKEST WAY FOR HUMANS TO CONNECT TO OTHER HUMANS. IT IS THE STORYTELLING OF HUMANITY.

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B E T H B E HR S

LET’S GET VULNERABLE,

Y’ALL

Savannah Dial

Starring Beth Behrs as Gemma Johnson, Season Three of The Neighborhood premiered on November 16th. “One of the things our show has done from the beginning and is continuing to do is to promote the bringing together of people in communities and that love transcends all sorts of racial boundaries, and we will continue to do that through the lens of laughter,” she says. “The first episode, we tackled it pretty head-on in a serious matter, but the rest of the season is really showing what we’ve shown from the beginning, which is really these two families from different walks of life coming together, and they want to do the best for each other and their community. I think that’s really the message of the show that will still prevail and is needed now, more than ever, in this current climate. I’m just really excited and hopeful that if people see it, maybe we will be able to change some minds and hearts, but definitely bring some love.”

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B E T H B E HR S

he premiere episode focused on systemic racism, police misconduct, and the Black Lives Matter movement – an episode that made Behrs incredibly proud that “our show and CBS were going to go there. Our system, the way it was set up was inherently racist, so I think the ‘system’ has been broken since its inception. And I think the beautiful thing is that we are finally confronting that as a culture and as Americans.” While continuing to highlight and shed light on the broken system that maintains disparities in policing, healthcare, education, and economics, she remains hopeful that we can fix it. “I think there’s so much hope in these younger generations, there’s such a fire ignited in them,” she asserts. “I am doing my part. I hope everybody’s doing their part in order to be a part of the change so that the systemic racism is eliminated. We have to keep on trying.” Besides working and learning how to play the banjo, Behrs created a podcast during quarantine, Harmonics with Beth Behrs, which is centered around the relationship between music and mental health.

“I was having a lot of anxiety as we all were with 2020, and I really just couldn’t,” she says, referring to her continuous journey of wellness and healing. “I started to think about the intersection between music and creativity, and how it’s tied to wellness and spirituality and what our connection to that is as human beings – and I really wanted to explore that.” In addition to exploring the link between spirituality and music, Behrs also features so many powerful women on her podcast. “My goal of having these conversations with creatives, artists, writers, and musicians was really to find out what they do in their darkest times and how they have pulled through, and how they take care of themselves and their mental health,” she adds. “In Season Two, I would really love to get more activists and women in government on it.” Photographer & Videographer: Blake Eiermann Photographer Assistant: Sebastian La’ Bianca Editor: Eiko Watanabe Special thanks to EPK Media (@myepk & @epkmedia - epkmedia.com)

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UCH M SO NGER S ’ RE YOU E’S E H E HER T S K E N N H S, T I I T H D T N E I E I TION GNIT P O H NERA IRE I GE CH A F S U E M. TH

CHARLESANDRON.COM

najjatharb.com

T R A V E L

A Tahitian

Sojourn;

where fantasies are born Thomas Wilmer

T HE I SL A N D O F T AHI T I

Welcome to French Polynesia, located in the Society Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It’s the stuff of dreams: a sultry, sexy, seductively-humid warmth, seasoned with a caressing breeze.

he town of Pape'ete on the island of Tahiti is the gateway to all of French Polynesia’s outer islands, as every international commercial flight comes through Pape'ete. The Tahitians’ joyous greetings serve as deft metaphors for their reverence for life and appreciation for their tropical paradise. Visit with anyone, and you’re bound to be serenaded with a melodic hello (“'Ia ora na!”), a gracious welcome (“Maeva!”), or a lyrical thank-you (“Māuruuru”). Even Tahitian graffiti is a melodic thing of beauty. At first glance, we mistook the spray-painted images adorning the airport’s underpass for a civiccommissioned art installation. Pape'ete is the commercial hub for the realm and transshipment point for inter-island freighters. Regretfully, many travelers never experience the incredible beauty, which is only a mile or two from the town, before pushing on to their remote-isle adventure. There are movie-magic waterfalls just

minutes from the town, and at the far end of the isle is one of the Earth’s premier surf spots. Cherished memories include ordering dinner from one of the roulottes (a.k.a. les roulottes, which literally means “rolling food trucks” in French) parked along the waterfront, and strolling through the downtown market bursting with a kaleidoscope of radiant, tropical flowers. Less than four miles from the airport is the four-star waterfront InterContinental Tahiti Resort & Spa. We hunkered down for two nights there, and had to repeatedly remind ourselves that we were not lightyears removed from modern civilization. We could have easily stayed there for the entire week, but our itinerary had us departing on an Air Tahiti flight to the isle of Bora Bora, dubbed to be the most beautiful island in the world by Pulitzer Prize-winning author James A. Michener.

I NTERC O NTI NE N T A L B O R A B O R A L E M O A N A R E SO R T

hen the Air Tahiti flight lands on Bora Bora, you exit the airport to a waterside dock, where launches wait to transport guests to the various resorts. Our InterContinental boat whisked us to the Le Moana resort, zipping past the mesmerizing volcanic peak of Mount Otemanu that conjured evocative Jurassic Park images. The seductive allure of the four-star InterContinental Bora Bora Le Moana Resort lies in its rusticity. Bamboo and woven-thatch wall accents – within the main dining spaces and bar, as well as within the thatch-roofed overwater bungalows – add a certain coziness, displaying an endearing authenticity.

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But all things considered, it is definitely the superfriendly staff that makes this place memorable. They meet and greet visitors with a graciously warm sense that you are family. Moreover, like most exceptional vacation destination experiences, it is the super-cool staff that generates fond memories that last forever, in some ways more so than the physical beauty of a place. The Bora Bora Le Moana is a place where time instantly slows to a crawl, as you sit on your overwater veranda while watching the sunset, or paddle around the lagoon in your kayak, coursing through the ginclear emerald-tinted waters. Waterside dining in the evening, as Tahitian dancers rhythmically gyrate to the beat of drums, adds a timeless accent to the experience.

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I NTERC O NTI NE NTA L B O R A B O R A R E SO R T & T HA L ASSO SPA

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oon, it was time to catch the shuttle boat across the lagoon to another luxury lodging, the Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa, situated on its own little motu (islet) with the majestic Mount Otemanu looming across the way on the main island. The InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa epitomizes a 5-star destination, defined by the professional and discreet demeanor of staff with their nuanced attention to detail, in concert with the sophisticated, architectural accents, notably in the spacious overwater bungalows. Both al fresco under the stars, adjacent to the pool, and indoors, the culinary arts rival a fine-dining establishment in New York City or Paris. This is extraremarkable when you remember that you are in the midst of the South Pacific, and are far, far away from the rest of the world. While floating in the warm water in front of our bungalow, time has come to a virtual standstill. We do not want to pack and depart, but it’s time to fly away from paradise, and start planning a reprise visit – real soon. For more details, visit InterContinental Tahiti Resort & Spa: @icfr_polynesia – tahiti.intercontinental.com & InterContinental Bora Bora Le Moana Resort: lemoana.intercontinental.com & InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa: thalasso.intercontinental.com At press time, to travel to Tahiti, the French Polynesian government requires proof of a negative COVID-19 test result (taken within 36 hours of departure), and a follow-up self-administered test (free of charge) four days after arrival.

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DE X T E R DA R DE N

SO I’M HOPING THIS POEM WILL MAKE YOU REFLECT Savannah Dial

D EXTER D A RD E N

ovies have been slow to come out of Hollywood this year, but Dexter Darden’s new movie, The Binge, is available for viewing on Hulu. “I just feel so blessed and so lucky that people are fortunate enough to have a laugh right now. You know, having people being able to relate to it and get that newfound humor, we felt like it is a really, really, really, really special thing,” says Darden, who has also joined Bayside High School as Devante for the Saved by the Bell reboot, which is “such a legendary TV show from everything that it did for bridging the gap on racial stereotypes.” Additionally, he has starred as late civil-rights leader and longtime Georgia congressman John Lewis in Son of the South (“I hope that I can do things on camera that help people remember him and his legacy”). Furthermore, mentioning the grand jury’s ruling in the death of Breonna Taylor, Darden advocates for racial justice. “I really just wanted to bring awareness to the world that things are happening right now that need to be taken care of,” he adds, referring to his poem, “SILENCE,” about the unjust acts that come from remaining silent. “We all have a position and were all blessed to be in a position to do our part, and I think with ‘SILENCE,’ that was my thing. I really wanted to raise awareness to the community, saying that we have a responsibility to use our platform to combat racial injustice. Just because I am on television and make movies and I’m blessed to be in the position that I am in, that doesn’t mean that I’m any different from any other African-American males walking to a 7-ELEVEn.” Darden says that the lockdown has given an opening for the movement to be projected. “[People] have the opportunity of being in the house and really focused inward on themselves. Taking this as a time to rectify certain things that they saw problems with inspired a lot of people to really get out on the streets and really get out on the frontline. So you know what? We can protest, we can march, we can move safely with masks, and find ways to inspire people,” he shares. “We’ve come a long way, but we have a long way to go.”

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arden further elaborates that this year marks only the beginning for change to take effect and for this nation to heal and work for diversity, equity, and inclusion, ensuring a fairer and safer future, in a post-COVID world. “We need to not be afraid to have the uncomfortable conversation. And I think we need to do a better job. Instead of being afraid of asking the questions, let’s just ask them and have the uncomfortable answers, because that’s how we keep an open dialogue for change in the right direction,” he says.

Photographer: Daniel Lennox Men’s Grooming: Courtney Housner (for Exclusive Artists Management - using tarte cosmetics & Embryolisse) Editor: Eiko Watanabe Special thanks to EPK Media (@myepk & @epkmedia - epkmedia.com)

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Because peace of mind is freedom.

K E E P Y O U R F A M I LY , F R I E N D S , A N D Y O U R L I B E R T Y S A F E F R O M C O V I D - 1 9 F R E E D O M T E S T K I T. C O M

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Be sustainable, be traditional, be Zahati

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