Chill October November 2018

FITNESS, TRAVEL, MUSIC, SEX, TECH & HEALTH

ISSUE 3

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO

Yes, BlacKkKlansman is the movie of the year

THE FITNESS ISSUE

Brooklyn’s Parkour 30 Minutes to Buff Working Out on PrEP Rethinking Big & Tall

TAYE DIGGS IS ALL-AMERICAN

The star of a new CW series and the film River Runs Red talks getting older, resisting, finding compassion, and the advice from Whoopi Goldberg that changed his life

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What is BIKTARVY®?

BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults. It can either be used in people who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, or people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements.

BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION What is the most important information I should know about BIKTARVY? BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects: ` Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection.

If you have both HIV-1 and HBV and stop taking BIKTARVY, your HBV may suddenly get worse. Do not stop taking BIKTARVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to monitor your health.

Who should not take BIKTARVY? Do not take BIKTARVY if you take: ` dofetilide ` rifampin ` any other medicines to treat HIV-1

What are the other possible side effects of BIKTARVY? Serious side effects of BIKTARVY may also include: ` Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking BIKTARVY. ` Kidney problems, including kidney failure.

Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys.

If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking BIKTARVY. ` Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death.

Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat. ` Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.

The most common side effects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (5%), and headache (5%). Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or don’t go away.

What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking BIKTARVY? ` All your health problems. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis virus infection. ` All the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements. BIKTARVY and other medicines may affect each other. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist, and ask if it is safe to take BIKTARVY with all of your other medicines. ` If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if BIKTARVY can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking BIKTARVY. ` If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Ask your healthcare provider if BIKTARVY is right for you.

Please see Important Facts about BIKTARVY, including important warnings, on the following page.

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B

Get HIV support by downloading a free app at MyDailyCharge.com

KEEP PUSHING. Because HIV doesn’t change who you are.

BIKTARVY is a 1-pill, once-a-day complete HIV-1 treatment for adults who are either new to treatment or whose healthcare provider determines they can replace their current HIV-1 medicines with BIKTARVY.

BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS.

BIKTARVY.COM

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IMPORTANT FACTS This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY® and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.

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IN THIS ISSUE/FEATURES

40

44

SAMI DRASIN/ THE CW (40); FOCUS FEATURES (44); ASHLEY SCHEIBELHUT (32)

32 ON THE COVER

SPECIAL FITNESS ISSUE

STREET STYLE

40 RENAISSANCE MAN Stage and screen icon Taye Diggs settles into his new roles in Hollywood and beyond.

32 UNLEASH THE BEAST Whether you’re into breakin,’ parkour, or ninja training, the Brooklyn Zoo’s got you.

17 FLEX YOUR FASHION These fresh threads will keep your fashion muscles firm thro gh the fall

44 DOWN WITH THE KLAN Director Spike Lee and BlacKkKlansman’s stars discuss their mega-hit and get real about racism in the U.S.

36 DAILY DEVOTION L.A.’s Ritual Gym maximizes your time and mone b bringing fitness back to the basics.

ON THE COVER TAYE DIGGS, PHOTOGRAPHED BY CHRIS PIZZELLO FOR INVISION/AP

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VIEWS 24 BIG, TALL, AND BOSS A new wave of male models are proving men of all sizes can have sick style.

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2018 CHILL

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IN THIS ISSUE/DEPARTMENTS LIT LIST 12 Black Boy Band Brockhampton is pushing boundaries.

13 All About Abloh Nike’s new blood.

13 Farewell Aretha A legend laid to rest.

14 #MenToo Zeke Thomas speaks up.

16 Tech Whiteout Where are tech POC? 16 Chick We Dig The talented Tiffany Black.

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17

SEX & HEALTH 22 HBCU HIV Free?

Co-ed sex ed.

22 Workout PrEP Stay safe and fit MUSIC 48 Breaking Out Everyone’s playing Demo Taped.

49 Missing Mandela Jay-Z and Queen B honor an hero.

56

ENTERTAINMENT 50 Keepin’ It Real Taylor Bennett raps his truth.

50 Super Fly’s Back The Blaxplotation classic is on Blu-ray.

51 Woke Reads These books offer a way out and up.

GROOMING 56 Bruh Hair And the products to tame them all.

60

SNEAKERS 60 Fall Back Seasons change, and so should your kicks.

ENTREPRENEUR 59 Black Culturist Elijah McKinnon keeps it in the kitchen.

SPORTS 62 L.A. Brawn The Lakers acquire one of the game’s greats.

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SAM MCKNIGHT (14); MAT THEW FISCHER (17); SHUT TERSTOCK (56); ADIDAS (60)

TRAVEL 52 Southern Isle Get your freak on in Key West, Florida.

55 Snow Schooled Urban kids shred.

CHILL OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2018

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VOTE. YOUR VOICE MATTERS. It’s more important than ever that LGBTQ voters and our allies turn out to vote this November.

Take the pledge and then take action: glaad.org/AmpYourVoice

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What's your fave workout?

The Chill staff weighs in on it.

,

Joe Valentino Paige Popdan

Diane Anderson-Minshall Gerald Garth

igh intensit with heav ho se beats

have to worko t an time before noon or it won t happen and follow Crossfit a hem and do their W s at ino

Raine Bascos Dimitri Moise James Brown III Thomas Freeman Jacob Anderson-Minshall David Artavia, Savas Abadsidis Desirée Guerrero Michael A. Gonzales Leleita McKill, Josh Drake Donald Padgett , Dave Johnson Christopher Harrity

arr s ootcamp is the best worko t in ew ork: each da of the week is targeted to a different bod part favorite is Th rsda or Core a , beca se there is no wa co ld perform that man cr nches witho t an instr ctor elling at me!

Cardio first, and alwa s with some s mi t gets the blood going

PRIDE MEDIA

Nathan Coyle

Michael Luong, Tevy Khou Mayra Urrutia Nicholas Alipaz, Sr. Kevin Bissada , Laura Villela , Greg Brossia , Stuart Brockington , Adam Goldberg , Brandon Grant , Jamie Tredwell, Andrew Park , Eric James , Casey Noble , John O’Malley , Michael Lombardo , Michael Tighe , Stewart Nacht , Tiffany Kesden , Daniel Reynolds Lenny Gerard Ian Martella Argus Galindo Kirk Pacheco Heidi Medina John Lewis

iking, an chance get

Cross it with a kick ass trainer

Joe Landry, Bernard Rook Greg Brossia, Joe Valentino Eric Bui Antiouse Boardraye ADVERTISING & SUBSCRIPTIONS W

t s all abo t kettlebells and cardio

, (212) 242-8100 (212) 242-8338 (212) 242-8338

LOS ANGELES EDITORIAL (310) 806-4288 (310) 806-4268 chill@pridemedia.com SOUTHWEST EDITORIAL OFFICES lorida ve emet, C og home from work t s the best wa to comm te

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FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, AND TWITTER AND ONLINE @ CHILL.US

Facebook.com/ HIVPlusMag

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n thing with a partner or dog or both

Twitter.com/ HIVPlusMag

chill@pridemedia.com NEED SUBSCRIPTION HELP? f o have an estions or problems with o r maga ine deliver , please email o r department at chillsubscriptions@pridemedia.com is p blished arterl b ere blishing nc Chill is a registered trademark of ere blishing nc ntire contents b ere blishing nc ll rights reserved rinted in the

UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP (SALTNPEPA); SHUT TERSTOCK (ALL OTHERS)

love an worko t before s nrise

CHILL OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2018

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LETTER

There is great pressure to be fit nowadays. In this digital age, we’re bombarded with images of body perfection—strong legs, toned arms, and gaunt faces (much of it created through Instagram filters and Facetune). Some advocates have challenged the reverence of these images, yet most of that conversation has been geared toward women and girls. But what about the boys? Men also struggle with body image and have weird relationships with food, myself included. How are we able to find our true voices when we live in a world that tells us the fitter we are, the better we are?

Some might question why a man who is 6 foot 4 inches with an athletic build has any thoughts on food and body image, let alone experience with these issues. But believe me, I have grappled with them since childhood. I was a thin, gangly, longlimbed child from birth. It wasn’t until I reached puberty that I noticed my thighs had gotten denser and my pants didn’t fall or gather like they used to.

I also noticed how my jeans were full—full of me that is. The sides of my torso pinched at the waist of these jeans, and while I thought at the time I just needed to get new jeans like I did every few months or so, this time was different. My mother would poke at my thighs and say, “I don’t know where all this came from.”

So I decided to eat a little less, even though other boys my age were encouraged, even expected, to eat heartily. No child wants to be prodded and called “husky” or “chubby.” At 12 years old, I started giving away half of my lunches and skipping breakfast because I was “just going to eat again in a few hours anyway.” While other boys were having second helpings at lunch, I mastered the art of holding my stomach in.

Puberty progressed and everything started to fall into place. During my freshman year of high school, my body began to look more like a man’s—broader shoulders, thicker arms, more solid torso. As a matter of fact, at 15, my body was probably manlier than most; I was already 6 foot 3 inches and 200 pounds. By professional standards, that height to weight ratio is healthy, but what kid wants to say he weighs 200 pounds while his closest friends are a fraction of that? What I didn’t account for was that those friends were also a fraction of my height. Despite it all, in my head, I was a 200-pound kid with a skinny brother and a skinny dad and skinny friends.

I wanted to be skinny, too.

Interestingly enough, my thinner friends also dealt with body image issues. More than a few men and boys have shared their feelings about arms too thin, chests too narrow, legs too bony. Society says muscles represent strength and power and, for many, their absence translates into weakness. It’s time for us to be sensitive to the fact that boys are taught to be big and tough and strong without looking, or feeling, big and tough and strong.

For our first fitness issue, we look at fitness a bit differently, whether that’s plus-size model and fashion influencer Darnel Ghramm’s recreation of a Calvin Klein shoot (page 24); a look inside the boutique fitness center, Ritual Gym, that transformed Singapore and now the U.S. (page 36); or the health equality-boosting impact of parkour through the fascinating trainers at New York’s Brooklyn Zoo (page 32). Men have been conditioned to not talk about health, fitness, body, and mental health issues, but culture is quickly changing.

At Chill, we’re excited to create, continue, and support the unique experiences and journeys of millennial men. At Chill, being you is in and always will be.

GERALD GARTH Editor in Chief

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HOPETON STEWART (TOP); COURTESY OF GERALD GARTH (BOT TOM)

ED

CHILL OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2018

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SHOULD HIV PREVENTION MATTER TO ME? I AM LIVING WITH HIV.

I AM HIV NEGATIVE.

YES! PREVENTION MATTERS.

UNBC4027 11/16

See how we can all help stop the virus in our bodies and communities. Talk to a healthcare provider.

And find out more at HelpStopTheVirus.com

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FEEDBACK

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We Want to Hear From You! Send us feedback on all things Chill via Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

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ChillThe ag, via email at chill@pridemedia.com, and on chill.us.

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BLINDED BY THAT ENERGY

@RICKGUASCO Love the magazine and its look. Kudos to you and the rest of the staff!

@HARRYITIE It was such a good read. Really enjoyed it :)

Check t aveed iggs holding ChillThe ag with Chill s st le e pert ames rown The at the premiere for aveed igg s hit movie Blindspotting The film s writer, prod cer, and star, iggs co ld not stop raving abo t the last cover

We want to hear what o think abo t this mag and we ma feat re o on this page ne t iss e chillthemag chillthemag or email chill pridemedia com

#WEOWENOAPOLOGY @Unapologeticmefilm: “Our hearts are overjoyed by the show of support from the hundreds of friends and family who joined us to celebrate #Pride2018 and the @unapologeticmefilm. Thank you to @samsung837 x @nativesonnow for believing in our art. With your help we have and will continue to impact the lives of current and future generations of men who simply want to live authentically and unapologetically. We love you all. Let’s continue to make history | @cliff2fs, @emilwilbekin, @iamderay—you guys are rockstars. Honored to call you brothers. [host @pridemediainc + @chillthemag | photos @emilcohen] #PridePlace2018.”

Pictured from left: e a ckesson, Clifford Carson, stin ominic, mil Wilbek n, and Chill manging editor imitri oise

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MOST LIKED POST ON OUR INSTAGRAM THIS MONTH o can read o r interview with rince Hip Hop: Miami at bit l rinceo

ichael from Love &

EMIL COHEN (PRIDE PL ACE); COURTESY JAMES BROWN III (DIGGS); THE ART DEPARTMENT, LLC (PRINCE MICHAEL)

We showed o r s pport to the cast of the film Unapologetic Me at Pride edia s ride lace, a five da e periential pop p in ew ork Cit

CHILL OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2018

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TAKE P r EP TO N"F@ J @J NI PREVENT HIV JK@P@!N CDP PrEP is a safe, daily pill that reduces your risk of HIV infection. PrEP will not interfere with your hormone therapy.

Use condoms to protect against other sexually transmitted infections.

PrEP is available regardless of your ability to pay. Talk to your doctor or visit nyc.gov/health and search “PrEP.”

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We’re darker than other boy bands and we suck dick, but we’re still very American.

I T ’S O K T O L I K E A B OY BA N D

These dudes are changing the game, and we’re digging everything they’re selling.

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Black gay front man, 21-year-old Kevin Abstract, that’s just the beginning. “I want people to look back like, ‘Damn, Brockhampton did all of that in a very short amount of time and inspired so many people,’” Abstract told The Guardian this summer.

The other band members (Merlyn Wood, Joba, Matt Champion, Dom McLennon, Ameer Vann, and Romil Hemnani) are on board with changing the cookie cutter perception of what a boy band is.

“The whole point is to redefine it so that a group of kids who look more like us and less like One Direction could be like, ‘I want to be in a boy band. I’m-a do that,’” Abstract said in the same interview. “NWA was all-American, WuTang was all-American. It was just a part of America you may not have seen at the time. And I feel like a Merlyn Wood verse, or an Ameer Vann verse, or Dom, their perspective is just as American as the white kids I went to school with who shot guns and killed animals on the weekends. We’re darker than other boy bands and we suck dick, but we’re still very American.”

Ameer Vann (left) and Kevin Abstract (right) of Brockhampton perform at Coachella

AMY HARRIS/INVISION/AP

Some young singers of color have always been a part of the boy band universe (think Jackson 5, Menudo, and Boyz II Men) but far more look like One Direction and N’Sync. And mixed-race bands haven’t always thrived.

But Brockhampton is doing just that and more—they’re scratching the surface of true stardom.

Four years after forming in San Marcos, Texas, the group of seven (only two of whom are white) is now L.A.-based and going full steam ahead for their dreams. With an off-balanced blend of in-your-face raps mixed with pop melodies, the guys are bringing their individual skater-punk qualities to the airwaves.

Last year, they dropped three albums. The latest, Saturation III, debuted at No. 15 on the U.S. Billboard albums chart, and was featured in Brockhampton’s 22-minute short film Billy Star. The group (@brckhmptn) even had their own episode, “American Boyband,” on the TV series Viceland.

Brockhampton performed to high acclaim at this year’s Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, wearing vests embalazoned with the the N and F words. For the group’s

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LIT

LIST BLACK MAGIC WOMAN In

the new reboot of the ‘60s sitcom Bewitched, creator Kenya Barris changes it up.

Before Black-ish creator Kenya Barris left ABC Studios to pursue a lucrative Netflix endeavor, he cemented a deal to reboot the popular 1960s sitcom, Bewitched, about a witch who marries a mortal—this time featuring an interracial blended family.

Black-ish writer and producer Yamara Taylor will also be involved in the development of the new series, in which Samantha is a hardworking Black mother, who just happens to have magical powers. The rebooted Darren is white—and a bit of a slacker—who struggles along with Samantha to work through their personal differences, in a world that (still) doesn’t treat women and men or Blacks and whites equally. Despite all of her amazing powers and strong work ethic, Samantha must grapple with the reality that her somewhat lazy husband gets all the respect.

—Desirée Guerrero

GETTING SERVED

THIBAULT CAMUS/AP PHOTO (ABLOH); AP PHOTO (DICK YORK AND ELIZABETH MONTGOMERY); MAT T ROURKE/AP PHOTO (FRANKLIN)

VIRGIL ABLOH IS MAKING ALL THE RIGHT MOVES. Despite her controversial loss, fans were thrilled designer Virgil Abloh teamed with tennis champ Serena Williams on a new collaboration with Nike that debuted at this year’s U.S. Open.

The renown Black fashion designer, who has been artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear collection since March, told CNBC’s Sara Eisen working with his longtime friend “was a no-brainer.”

“My interest in fashion isn’t about clothing,” he said. “It’s about people, and I think she’s beyond, you know, an amazing athlete. She’s a muse of a generation, so the clothes in a way design themselves. I was happy to have the support of Nike and the support of Serena herself to come up with this concept and debut it for the U.S. Open.”

Abloh is the genius behind Off-White, a fashion house he founded in 2013. This year, he was named one of the most in ential people in the world by Time magazine. Williams won her first pen match this fall wearing an bloh designed off-the-shoulder tutu dress, paired with fishnet tights and a pair of sparkl silver ikeCo rt Flare sneakers.

The goal for Nike’s new “Queen” collection is to blur the line between workout and day wear, and to transform what gym wear looks like. “I just kind of want to push that needle forward to see the brand seamlessly transition between on the court, off the court,” Abloh told Eisen. “I think we are alive at an amazing time where the public is open to these ideas.”—DA

FAREWELL TO THE QUEEN OF SOUL She always had our respect.

The world mourned this August when we lost one of the most legendary voices in American music, and the amazing woman it belonged to, Aretha Louise Franklin.

Her funeral was historic, with speakers including former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, activists including Rev. Al Sharpton, tons of celebs, and a touching goodbye from lifelong friend Smokey Robinson.

“I know you’re celebrating with your family and our neighborhood friends who are all gone. And you’re going to be a featured voice in the choir of angels,” Robinson said before singing a few bars from his ballad “Really Gonna Miss You.” Other standout performances included Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson, and Ariana Grande.—DG OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2018 CHILL

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#USTOO

Being the son of a famous parent can be daunting, especially if that parent is basketball legend Isiah Thomas. But DJ and music producer Zeke Thomas has never shied away from being himself in the public eye. Fans will get a larger glimpse into his life when his documentary, Untold Story, which he executive produced, is released next Spring.

Long before #MeToo gained a global reach, the gay Black man was already sharing his story—most famously with Robin Roberts on ABC’s Good Morning America, when he became one of the first men to speak out about being the target of sexual assault or harassment.

Since then, many other men have shared their stories personally, and across social media platforms. Much as #MeToo sparked #TimesUp in Hollywood, attention to men’s stories has culminated in global calls to action. Thomas is now an advocate for survivors of sexual assault, the first male ambassador for the National

Sexual Violence Resource Center.

“At the end of the day, we’re all human beings,” Thomas says. “We all have the same feelings, we all draw the same blood, everything. It’s unfortunate that women have been passed aside, just like many races and many forms of sexuality have been. However, when you decide to polarize a person’s truth and lower their experience just because of their sexuality or gender, that’s not right.” After all, he adds, “Men aren’t treated the same as women. I’ve had friends, family members even, say, ‘Whoa, your assault is different because you’re a man—it’s not equal, it’s not as serious.’”

In addition to encouraging men to come forward, Thomas wants all of us to “stop allowing people to blame themselves: ‘I could have done this, I could have done that.’ No. This person took advantage of you. People are predators. There’s good people, there’s bad people. We have to stop making excuses for the bad people.”—DA

James Baldwin’s famous 1974 novel If Beale Street Could Talk revolves around a Black man falsel acc sed of rape, and his pregnant fianc who fights passionatel to prove his innocence The Black gay author examined the role of racial discrimination in the case while celebrating the powerf l love of a o ng lack co ple Director Barry Jenkins’s follow-up to the Oscar-winning hit Moonlight is the film version of If Beale Street Could Talk The film premieres October 9, at the legendary Apollo Theater in arlem, apollotheater org , as part of the th ew ork ilm estival marking the first time the festival has ever screened at the pollo ew ork ilm estival director ent Jones explained to reporters why the Apollo

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screening is so important: “We’ve always wanted to bring the ew ork ilm estival to more of our city, and I can’t imagine a better place to begin, or a better movie to begin with arr s adaptation of If Beale Street Could Talk is a brave and passionate film that looks n inchingl at s stematic racism in merica nd it is percent arlem based shot in Harlem and based on a novel by a great merican writer who was arlem born so how could we possibly present it anywhere but the Apollo?”

The film feat res i i a ne, tephan ames, egina ing, and Colman omingo t s been an honor working with the estate to bring this piece of James Baldwin’s legacy to the screen,” said enkins —DA

SAM MCKNIGHT (THOMAS); TATUM MANGUS/ANNAPURNA PICTURES (BEALE STREET)

SHOWTIME AT THE APOLLO

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CHICK WE DIG TIFFANY BLACK

THERE’S A GLARING LACK OF REPRESENTATION FOR BLACKS AND LATINX IN THE TECH INDUSTRY. If there’s anything we can learn from our alleged post-racial America, it’s that diversity doesn’t happen by osmosis. Intentionality is key. A recent wake-up call came in the guise of Save Our Cities: Powering the Digital Revolution: 2018 State of Black America, the 42nd edition of an annual report released by The National Urban League, a nonpartisan civil rights organization that examines a wide range of data to determine how Black people are doing compared to caucasians.

The report noted, “Racial diversity in social media and technology companies is an area where the equality gap is starkly wider.

As reported in the Digital Inclusion Index, in the vast majority of [tech] companies, fewer than 5 percent of the workforce is AfricanAmerican. By contrast, at least half of the workforce in these companies is white.”

In July 2018, Facebook reported that their employment of Black and Hispanic candidates increased from 2 to 4 percent for Blacks, and 4 to 5 percent for Hispanics.

Comparitively, there were significantly higher rates of Asian employment: 41.4 percent of Facebook employees were Asian in 2018.

Dealing with that digital divide and preparing the next generation of color for the upcoming jobs that will be born of the tech revolution requires that Black students be represented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. But the State of Black America reports just 8.2 percent of all degrees Blacks achieved in 2015–2016 were in STEM fields and only 5.7 percent of Blacks employed in 2017 were working in the tech industry. “By contrast,” the report found, “12.8 percent of degrees and certificates conferred to whites were in STEM, and 8.5 percent of white workers were employed in the tech industry.”

“Historically, while great industrial breakthroughs have profited our nation, African-Americans have often been exploited, rather than elevated by these advancements,” National Urban League president and CEO

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Marc H. Morial said. “Fortunately, the digital revolution is still in its youth—and ripe with potential for Black Americans. While it has positioned itself such that the barriers of entry are few and low, the findings of the National Urban League’s 2018 Digital Inclusion Index are unambiguous: we must separate the signal from the noise.”

Young Black Americans are choosing to enter STEM fields more than ever, yet historically Black colleges and universities continue to receive and spend fewer research and development dollars per student compared to other universities. The report found that the average HBCU “receives just 10.2 percent of the federal per student R&D funds that go to non-HBCUs and spends just 7.9 percent of what the average non-HBCU spends on R&D per student.”

While the funding problem is a bigger fish to fry, companies can help by reaching out to Black and Latinx communities, and by creating systems that engage Black and Latinx students. It’s not enough to just hire qualified candidates, tech companies need to help develop talent in America’s Black and Latinx communities by investing in these neighborhoods. If there were as many opportunities readily available for Black and Latinx students as there are for their white or Asian counterparts to engage in STEM learning, we might start seeing equity further along in the tech employment pipeline. If Silicon Valley companies would do their due diligence in ensuring their level of engagement with Black America, maybe such a shift would occur sooner than later.

Instead of looking at young Black and Latinx people simply as consumers, or as a source of profit, why not look at them as intelligent, passionate future job candidates that will benefit (as will the company) by investment in their education and training?

Companies like Facebook could learn a thing or two from thinking outside the box—the white box that is.— D I M I T R I M O I S E

SHUT TERSTOCK (TECH); CHRIS WOOD (BL ACK)

Tech So White

Long recognized for her comedic chops, Tiffany Black’s scene-stealing role as Destiny on OWN’s Love Is__ went viral, forcing audiences (and Hollywood) to pay attention to her dramatic range.

“I love comedy, but there’s a lot more in me,” Black tells Chill.

The actress and writer’s role in the scene—played opposite Loretta Divine, for director Neema Barnette—gave voice to single mothers everywhere, many of whom feel like they’ve never been truly heard, nor their lives a thenticall re ected on T The talented t etersb rg, la , native s first lead role, in When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story, happened through divine intervention. “I got the part ho rs before we started filming beca se another actress declined the role the night before filming, she recalls m tr l so l ck The youngest of three girls, Black says, “I’ve been playing pretend since I could remember.

I love entertaining people because I love being entertained.” She adds that women like Issa Rae and Lena Waithe encourage her to keep moving forward in honing her craft.

Her loving attitude also helped launch her career.

“I’m a Pisces, so I’m full of feelings,” she says. “I love, love, love.”

Just a few years ago, Black was living on her sister’s couch. That was when her sis gave her some solid advice to “focus on designing the life I wanted now so I could enjoy the journey, because I wasn’t going to get my 20s back. I wasn’t going to get this time in life back needed to fig re o t a wa to love the life have while I work at making it better.”

Black’s wheelhouse has been growing steadily ever since, including for her popular YouTube show, Tiffany Epiphanies (@tiffanyblacktv).

These days, Black is, as she puts it, “simply grateful.”

“I’ve designed my life, which took years of prayer, discipline, research, and will power,” she says pro dl The ltimate dream now is to fig re o t what God has written for me and live that.”—DA

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STREET

BULK UP THIS FALL

IT’S TIME FOR LAYERS: SWEATERS, BEANIES, SCARVES, JEANS, BOOTS, AND JACKETS.

WRITTEN AND STYLED BY JAMES BROWN III @jamesbrowniii PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATTHEW FISCHER @heyitslifestyle HAIR AND MAKE-UP: AUSTIN THORNTON @austinthorntonbeauty HAIR AND MAKE-UP: MARCI SAUCEDO @marcisaucedo ASSISTANT STYLIST: ALLEGRA LEVY @allegralevy LOCATION: SOLACE NEW YORK @solacenewyork

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ST YLE

BE BOLD! This season is all about taking staple items, simple silhouettes, basic colors, traditional accessories, and classic patterns and turning them on their heads. The two-button suit is no exception. It’s not just enough to rock it perfectly accessorized and tailored within an inch of it’s life, designers like Mr. Turk are making them in vibrant patterns of brocade this fall and we love it. Don’t be afraid to mix and match as you pull together your signature lewks. Make the unexpected choice this season, boots with a suit, belt a trench coat and call it a dress, wear pink pants without batting an eye. Be bold, be unconventional (kind of like a fashion shoot at this N.Y.C. gym).

ON ADAM Fellini Blazer and Clyde Slim Trousers by Mr. Turk, Tuxedo Button Down by Dolce & Gabbana

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ummer is officially over, class is in, the leaves are changing, and you’ve started your bulking phase at the gym. You no longer have the summer’s heat to excuse living in shorts and sneakers. Fall is the time to layer and make a statement. Major trends launched from the runways earlier this year have landed on the streets. We went to Solace New York to show off tailored jewel-toned pieces, animal prints and plaids, ornamental brocades, and classic accessories. The inevitable change of season isn’t for everyone, but at the very least you can look good when it happens.

LEFT TO RIGHT Red silk slip dress by Haider Ackermann, Learia gold heeled sandal by Aldo; Thorson Bomber Jacket, Leonardo Sweater Polo, and Clyde Slim Trouser all by Mr. Turk, Pale teal 1460 Pascal Virginia boots by Dr. Martens; Thorson Bomber Jacket, Woodrow Turtleneck Sweater, and Clyde Slim Trousers all by Mr. Turk, Cherry red 1460 Smooth boots

by Dr. Martens; Javier Cardigan, Adolfo Polo, Clyde Slim Trouser all by Mr. Turk Navy 1460 Smooth boots by Dr. Martens; Blocked print dress by Karen Millen and Madalene silver sandal by Aldo

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FLOWERS BLOOM IN FALL, TOO We all have that grandma, aunt, or old lady next door whose house looks like a ba aar of owers exploded everywhere leaving pastel linens and bold brocades all over the couches, pillows, and curtains. Designers this season fo nd inspiration in oral brocades—often tacky or kitschy— and have designed gorgeous calf-length dresses for women to stomp the pavements in. No more grandma s orals LEFT TO RIGHT Black and white long sleeve dress by Michael Kors; Black tailored T-shirt by Matthew Miller, Black pants by Primordial is Primitive, Cherry red 1460 Smooth boots by Dr. Martens; Black and white strapless dress by Michael Kors

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OH, WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? Mr. Rogers put his stamp on the cardigan back in the late ‘60s and it’s consistently been a staple in every man’s closet since.

Mr. Turk, in its new fall collection, further proves this point by delivering a cardigan with great pattern and color to stay warm in this otherwise finick weather. Pair this cardigan with a Mr. Turk Polo in this season’s favorite new color, rust, and you’re ready for a cas al da at the office and a chic night at Beauty & Essex.

ON LEE Javier Cardigan, Adolfo Polo, Clyde Slim Trouser all by Mr. Turk; Navy 1460 Smooth boots

by Dr. Martens

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THESE BOOTS WERE MADE FOR WALKING Most people look at a pair of Dr. Martens boots and have a visceral reaction. For some, it draws up connotations of skinheads with white or red laces, others see the grunge trends and riot grrrls of the ‘90s. Many others simply see a boot hard to break in, but mad comfortable in the end. Oddly enough, the original Dr. Martens were designed with none of these outcomes in mind. In 1945, in post-war Germany, Dr. Klaus Maertens was recovering from a skiing injury and needed a boot that wasn’t as uncomfortable as the standard, hard leather-soled boots available. Maertens altered old army boots by adding softer leather and a sole made of tires for more cushion— th s the first r artens boot was born That original design spawned a boot that s been worn b millions in the past ears This fall and winter, r artens boots are provocative staple pieces to anchor o r wardrobe eep it simple with the classic cherry red, black, or navy 1460s or dare to be bold with a pop of color, like the 1460 Rock & Rolls, the Union Jack 1460 Pascals, or the nearly knee-high (14-Eye) 1914 Smooths. Whichever pair you choose, they will go with everything in your closet, so have fun.

LEFT TO RIGHT Pale teal 1460 Pascal Virginia; Cherry red 1460 Smooth; Navy 1460 Smooth all by Dr. Martens

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THE BOLD AND THE BESTIAL If you still have some neutral animal prints in your closets from last fall, leave them there. This season, it’s colorful animal prints rolling down the runway—colors that would be unnatural in the jungle but are unbelievable on the street. You spent the summer beasting in the gym to stay beach-body ready, now it’s time to unleash the bold brute.

ON KAMILLE Blocked print dress by Karen Millen; Madalene silver sandal

by Aldo

LEFT TO RIGHT: Burgundy Luxury Tee by Matthew Miller; Firework pants by Valentino,Suntan wool dress by Michael Kors, Fellini Blazer by Mr. Turk, Tuxedo button-down by Dolce & Gabbana; Longline belted trench coat by Karen Millen, (bottom) Long-sleeve knit by Damir Doma

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BUY THE LOOKS mrturk.com karenmillen.com valentino.com michaelkors.com us.dolcegabbana.com matthewmiller.eu damirdoma.com primordialisprimitive.it drmartens.com aldoshoes.com solacenewyork.com

ON WEDNESDAY’S WE WEAR PINK But not just any pink: Magenta.

This jaw-dropping pop of color is the perfect hue to mix and match with almost anything in your wardrobe. We often use the fall and winter as an excuse to retreat into our blacks and grays, but let’s make new, bolder choices this year. It’s so fetch.

ON JUAN Thorson Bomber Jacket, Leonardo Sweater Polo, and Clyde Slim Trouser all by Mr. Turk; Pale teal 1460 Pascal Virginia boots

by Dr. Martens

THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER Red screams, “Fiery, powerful woman focused on the pursuit!” The woman who wears red is a huntress conquering her prey in the board room, on the dance oor, at the bar, in the operating room, and everywhere in between. Wearing the color in combination isn’t the trend we see this fall, it’s doing it with full monochromatic intention and the attitude to match.

ON BREE Red silk slip dress by Haider Ackermann; Learia gold-heeled sandal by Aldo

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DARNEL GHRAMM proves big and tall guys deserve to look good and be styling with his new body-positivity fashion movement.

BY DESIRÉE GUERRERO P H OTO G R A P H Y BY TO N Y T R OT T

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VIEWS

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Model citizen: Fashion in encer and model arnel Ghramm is shaking p the fashion world with his bod positivit movement for men

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#WeAreBigAndTall model Rob Robinson proves that size has nothing to do with being sexy AF. @builtuprealnice

model and fashion influencer Darnel Ghramm (far left @dghramm) admits he wasn’t always overflowing with confidence. “I would struggle,” he says about his self-esteem as a younger man.

“I would struggle a lot to try to find clothes to put on, to feel good, to express who I am and look nice.” But when a friend encouraged him to post a photo of himself on Instagram, Ghramm says it “changed everything.”

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onfi en e is o k Body- positive model Eric Anderson is quickly inspiring guys to get their fashion on. @hashtag_coolkid

That first photo actually ended up being reposted by @EffYourBeautyStandards, an Instagram account that offers encouraging stories related to body positivity.

It received over 1,500 likes, along with dozens of direct messages from guys thanking Ghramm for giving them inspiration and helping them find body acceptance.

He realized there was a whole community of men like him, eager for content and images that reflected their real bodies. Though the response wasn’t astronomical, Ghramm says he realized the impact a single photo could make, which was “all the fire and the fuel that I needed.”

Thus, the #WeAreBigAndTall movement was born.

In response to a lack of representation of different male body types in the fashion industry, Ghramm decided to recreate a Calvin Klein photoshoot with a diverse group of big male models of various ethnic backgrounds.

The results were so stunning that the campaign quickly went viral, earning Ghramm and the movement some welldeserved media attention.

Even before this experience, Ghramm says he remembers

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Bald is badass: With his beard and smolder, it’s clear that Miguel Rodriguez is gonna make ‘em all thirsty on the ‘gram. @migrich_29

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Big and bold: Ady Del Valle also modeled in the #WeAreBigAndTall campaign, adding body diversity and power brows to the fashion world. @adydelvalle_

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Smiling is sexy: Model Kyle Kelly is pulling all the tricks with his pearly whites and smile ladies can’t resist. @ladiesluvk00lk

often “questioning society’s norms or standards and saying, ‘How come there’s no one that looks like me that’s on a runway, or in a campaign, or in a catalog?’ I’m a shopper.

I’m a consumer. I get that the industry has this view of the typical male being, you know, 6-foot plus, or maybe having a 30 or 31 [inch] waist, but there’s other people out here as well that like clothes.”

“I’ve always had a love for fashion,” he continues.

“For me, fashion is about expressing yourself, expressing who you are without having to say anything. It could be your mood or how you feel—if someone walks into the room, you’re going to get a feel for, or a vibe of, what they’re giving off by what they’re wearing.”

Still, being a professional model was something that was never on Ghramm’s radar. “Considering myself a model actually didn’t happen until last year when an agency reached out to me,” says Ghramm, who ended up getting signed with the modeling agency. He adds, with quiet triumph, “Lo and behold there we are, another wall taken down.”

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FITNESS

ONE BROOKLYN-BASED GYM MAKES FITNESS FUN AGAIN.

BY DAVID ARTAVIA PHOTOGRAPHY BY ASHLEY SCHEIBELHUT ON LOCATION AT BROOKLYN ZOO (BROOKLYNZOONY.COM)

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JUST YN WARNER

REALLY BADASS PARKOUR TRAINERS IN NEW YORK CHILL OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2018

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he art of movement is constantly being reimagined. While treadmills, weight machines, and stationary bicycles have made fitness more convenient, smart dudes understand that our bodies are built to physically test our own limits. Trainers at New York’s beastly Brooklyn Zoo in East Williamsburg are revolutionizing

the practices of parkour, breakdancing, tumbling, trampolining, tricking, contortion, aerial acrobatics, and even something called ninja training. They’re turning all those, especially parkour, into an accessible form of fitness, transforming the basics of the obstacle-course training —vaulting, climbing, swinging, and jumping—by bringing them into a gym that mimics an urban jungle atmosphere.

The health benefits of parkour are well

documented. According to Samir Becic, author of the book ReSYNC Your Life, not only is parkour a full-body workout but it also promotes quick-thinking, fosters creativity, boosts confidence, builds bone strength, and can even reduce antisocial behavior. Even better? Parkour (and other body weight workouts) are great economic equalizers because you don’t need workout clothes, fancy kicks, or an expensive gym membership to do it.

NAME Culture Rivera AGE 30 SPECIALTIES Parkour, tumbling, trampoline, and ninja warrior FAVORITE WORKOUT Calisthenics and weightlifting WHAT’S ON YOUR WORKOUT PLAYLIST? If I’m doing parkour, intense hip-hop or chill hip-hop. Tumbling can be done to almost any kind of music. For trampoline, I like trance, EDM, or house type of music. Ninja warrior training has to have epic music with a bass or an ancient trainingfeel, like an old school Japanese beat.

WHY TRAIN OTHERS? I do what I do for many reasons. I get to create an impact on people’s lives by teaching them how to be as awesome as possible. My family and the people around me influence me a lot, particularly my 4-year-old son, Culture Jr. He was born with autism, so I use parkour as a way to teach him a sport that’s based on creativity and good for life. Everything I do now is for me and him.

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NAME Orlando Alicea AGE 26 SPECIALTIES Parkour instructor for mixed levels and advanced classes FAVORITE WORKOUT Shoulder shrugs, lat pull-downs, and pull-ups WHAT’S ON YOUR WORKOUT PLAYLIST? Right now, it’s a mix between West Coast gangsta rap (Nipsey Hussle and YG) and this Japanese band called The Gazette.

WHY TRAIN OTHERS? I like teaching people to do things they think they aren’t capable of. Teaching parkour keeps me motivated in so many ways. People think differently, and so every student brings a new perspective on how to move around.

Everyone you teach becomes a new friend to train with, and I feel like the camaraderie that comes with training with friends is one of the things I enjoy the most about parkour.

NAME Frantz Theodore AGE 22 TRAINING Parkour FAVORITE WORKOUT Quadrupedal movement crawls, precision jumps, cat hanging, pole alance, and floor on hand to foot monkey crawls on the ground) WHAT’S ON YOUR WORKOUT PLAYLIST? Anime music.

WHAT DREW YOU TO PARKOUR? It taught me how to overcome my fears. Through every obstacle and with every step, I tart to eel li e am fl in hat the cool thing about getting over ear ou nd reedom

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NAME Sha Mualimm-Ak AGE 28 TRAINING Parkour coach FAVORITE WORKOUT Anything involving barbells or rings, sprinting, and plyometrics WHAT’S ON OUR WORKOUT PLAYLIST? Wh00sh or Bomb, based on the mood WHY TRAIN OTHERS? Coaching is one of my favorite ways to give back to the parkour community at large, and to other people in general. Seeing a 7-year-old perform a skill kind of better than I do, or change an adult’s perspective on how they see the world around them through movement, is a big deal to me. Seeing others grow around me has always been exciting and a catalyst for my own growth.

NAME Rich Rodriguez AGE 29 SPECIAL DIET Keto and intermittent fasting SPECIALTIES Parkour FAVORITE WORKOUT Can’t go wrong with a pushup. Most people use it for their chest, but there are so many [other] ene t , includin ariation that can target the entire body.

WHAT’S ON YOUR WORKOUT PLAYLIST? The Megaman 2 soundtrack YOUR OTHER GIG? tuntman or and lm WHY TRAIN OTHERS? I coach because it’s the only job I have the patience for.

People are depending on me to teach them to move and grow strong. I have to maintain that ima e o health and t to inspire them. It’s full circled: they’re inspired, I’m motivated.

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FITNESS

The Future of Fitness?

RITUAL TAKES ALL THE EXCUSES OUT OF NOT GOING TO THE GYM.

BY GERALD GARTH

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Ritual Gym in Los Angeles removes the hassle (and hi-tech machinery) from working out, with ltra efficient and simple 20-minute sessions

ace it, we’re all busy, but want to stay fit.

You know you need to exercise, so why not get it done as efficiently as possible?

Ritual Gym (ritualgym.com) combines both cardio and strength training into one potent 20-minute session. That’s right. It promises to get you in and out, showered, and plied with postworkout smoothies all within 30 minutes.

The Ritual experience is unique for a health club. A disruptor in the boutique fitness industry, Ritual has come to the U.S. after major success in Singapore. One of the most densely populated cities in Asia, Singapore proved that time-starved professionals would flock to a gym that could provide a productive daily workout.

When you step into a Ritual Gym the first thing you notice is the absence of machines. Instead, Ritual has free weights and kettle balls, gymnastic rings, and exercise mats. It focuses on high-intensity interval training based on an exclusive algorithm it says will ensure any gym goer gets as close to a perfectly balanced workout as possible, regardless of how often they get to the gym. Ritual touts their slogan: “No treadmills, no scales, no nonsense. Just results.”

Another thing you won’t have to worry about is forgetting to bring your gym clothes or dragging around funky shorts and sweat-soaked shirts when you go back to the office or off to the club. That’s because Ritual provides gym clothes too, so you literally just need to show up. Well, that and bring the most important machine for getting in shape—your own body.

“We stick to free weights and bodyweight movements.

In other words, we train the body as the machine, not with machines,” says cofounder Ian Tan, a renowned personal trainer.

“You show up in your full suit and leave in your full suit in 30 minutes like you were never there.”

None of the movements at the center of Ritual’s intervals are complicated or difficult to perform and there’s no boot-camp sergeant screaming out orders to switch from one element to another. The workouts are manageable and safe, regardless of your fitness level.

With locations in Johannesburg, South Africa; Madrid, Spain; Singapore; and now Los Angeles, Ritual is just getting started.

Tan founded the gym with business partner and friend Brad Robinson. Before that, he ran a personal training studio. “I got into health and fitness [by] training martial art fighters for years,” Tans says.

“I had the idea of Ritual Gym quite early on,” Tan explains.

But it wasn’t until he met Robinson that it really took off.

“Sometimes when you have an idea, for it to work, you need to merge with the right people. I sat on the idea [of Ritual] for a long time, not really knowing what to do, but knowing I could not do it on my own. Brad and I became buddies when I was training him, and I learned he was an amazing entrepreneur. I pitched the idea, not realizing I was pitching the idea. Long story short, he called me a few weeks later and said he couldn’t stop thinking about it. And from that point, in six weeks, we had the first Ritual opened, because we are that crazy!”

Crazy like a fox. Ritual is designed to meet the needs of real people. Leading his team with passion and commitment, Tan understands the central part of Ritual is the client experience.

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SKIP THE GYM? Get 10 minute workouts wherever you go.

“The magic of the business is actually when you interact with clients. And my role is to chase that magic. Something powerful happens when you connect with exercise on a different level. It’s about waking up and feeling your best with the mental clarity to make better decisions. You see people walking out with smiles on their faces... You get the sense you are doing something important.”

For Tan, Ritual has become more than just about fitness; he’s growing the brand by developing his team. “When you create a safe environment and culture for people, you realize how much more people give when they feel they can flourish. We have people who are asking for more. And sometimes you must step back and allow their evolution. Creating a culture where people can work and grow.”

Tan says he is looking to empower other people through his sucess with Ritual. “It’s been a crazy journey, but I think the biggest takeaway for me has been that people need to be reminded that they don’t have to be good at everything. And if I had tried to take a stab at this thing by myself, I probably would have failed by now.”

But with his team, Tan can focus on what he’s passionate about: helping people. “Exercise is exercise, but Ritual is here to create an experience. People are… [struggling]. If I can create an environment, even for just 30 minutes, where you can walk

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in and exhale—take a moment for yourself, focus on yourself and… do something that is good for you.”

His advice to those who have their own dreams they’re hoping to see to fruition, is to “find people you trust, because you cannot sustain a business or idea solely on passion.

It’s more than just a good idea, you have to be willing to put [in] that level of effort and build a culture around it. You don’t have to be an expert in everything, but you should be an expert on something.”

Tan has words of wisdom for other fitness professionals too. “I think that most everyone in the industry has good intentions—to help people get in better shape, but there’s so much more to fitness than what your abs look like or how many Instagram followers you have.

This is people’s bodies and health. Right now, the industry sells things by showing abs and boobs and butts, but Ritual intentionally doesn’t do any of that. We are presenting an alternative perspective of what health and fitness can be.”

Tan has a background in psychology, so his understanding of the mind’s importance in the body’s health plays a big part in his work.

“Our clients are everyday people, and there are so many self-esteem issues that can come with some of the current media messages. It’s all so much deeper than that.

Your health and happiness come first.

Because even when the Adonis body comes, you might realize that it’s deeper than that.”

Finding it hard to stay in shape when you travel? Try bringing the gym with you with Sworkit, a tne app de i ned or people o all tne le el , rom beginner to pro. You choose a or out that t our need leaner, tter, or tron er and how long you want to or out minute , then or it de i n a peci c et o exercises completely tailored to our tne le el and or out goals. There is even a section devoted to stretching, yoga, and fle i ilit nce ou nd the e t or out or ou, there are videos to guide you through each movement, so you can exercise and practice in the com ort o our home or hotel or the each , ith nothin but your phone, tablet, or computer. Sworkit is available on all devices, including Apple TV, Android, and desktop or laptop web browsers. At least 25 million people have already oined or it com —DIMITRI MOISE

COURTESY OF RITUAL (FIRST PAGE AND ABOVE LEFT); SHUT TERSTOCK (HEADSTAND)

No heavy gym bag needed: Low-tech equipment keeps workouts unfussy at Ritual, where even fresh workout clothes are provided for its busy professional clientele

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SEX & FITNESS WORKING OUT ON PREP

When taken as prescribed, PrEP (or pre-exposure prophylaxis, the HIV-prevention treatment) makes it virtually impossible for you to contract HIV. But will that once a da bl e pill interfere with o r fitness routine? Short answer, no. Here are the deets.

Can I take supplements like creatine with PrEP? s all , b t check with o r doctor first You should always tell your doctor and pharmacist about all prescription and non-prescription medications you take—as well as vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products. Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects depending on what else you take.

Will taking PrEP impact my lean body mass? No, it won’t. And according to NAM AIDSMap, an international HIV information resource, PrEP doesn’t raise lipids or alter body fat, either.

FIGHTING HIV ON BLACK CAMPUSES

GETTING COLLEGES TO STEP UP AND OFFER STUDENTS REAL SEX EDUCATION

SHUT TERSTOCK (BOTH)

I DID NOT attend a historically Black college or university, but I could argue

that my childhood in Baton Rouge, La., was HBCU-adjacent. Located on Scott’s Bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, Southern University and A&M College is one big public HBCU with reach far beyond its campus. From tailgating at home games to attending the Bayou Classic—an annual matchup between Southern and rival Grambling State University that takes place in New Orleans’s Superdome—to taking part in the school’s various community programs, we were all a part of the Jaguar Nation.

Non-alums joined students and alumni in that nation of SU fans. And Southern University is hardly the only school to evoke this level of devotion. Across the country, Black families, individuals, and communities are steadfast fans of HBCUs, no matter what their connection to the school actually is.

Found mostly in the South, HBCUs are primarily schools established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to serve Black communities in a time of overwhelming discrimination facing Black students during segregation. Even today, HBCUs continue to add value to the broader world of higher education—for example by meeting the needs of low-income, first-generation students.

Recognizing the importance of the HBCU experience, the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ rights advocacy group, decided it was a critical venue in which to tackle HIV. While HIV rates are declining overall in the United States, young Black men continue to see higher rates than their counterparts. In addition, HRC points to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that show 51 percent of youth don’t currently know their HIV status.

HRC reported that in 2015, youth and young adults ages 13 to 24 represented more than one in five new HIV diagnoses in America. Eighty percent of those diagnoses occurred in people ages 20 to 24. Among youth diagnosed with HIV in 2015, more than half (55 percent) were gay or bisexual Black men.

To help combat these statistics, HRC published a free guidebook on HIV prevention, awareness, and care, aimed specifically at administrators, students, and staff of HBCUs. Making History + A Pragmatic Guide to Confronting HIV at Historically Black Colleges and Universities can be downloaded at HRC.org and lays out four ways leaders and students can confront HIV on HBCU campuses, including developing and implementing formal HIV-inclusive policies; decreasing stigma and discrimination; providing comprehensive HIV and LGBTQ-inclusive sexual health education; and identifying and collaborating with campus and community partners.

Of course, you don’t need to be an HBCU student or staffer to get the truth about preventing and treating HIV. In the tradition of HBCUs, it’s time to educate ourselves, for ourselves.—GERALD GARTH

Will side effects stop me from working out? Probably not. PrEP is a safe and well-tolerated drug. According to Gilead, the makers of Truvada (the only currently-approved drug to be used as PrEP), about one in 10 people in studies reported they had nausea, stomach pain, or weight loss when the first started taking r ost of the time, these side effects improved or went away after taking PrEP for a few weeks.

Does PrEP make you more tired? PrEP users may feel fatigued a bit early on. Reports show the feeling passes after a few weeks Take it eas at first, ntil you have a chance to adjust to the drug. Don’t strain o rself at the g m Take fre ent breaks, drink ids, and get a good night’s sleep. Consider less strenuous workouts (such as yoga, swimming, or tai chi) on days you’re feeling tired, but do know many weight and resistance trainers take PrEP without any impact.

Do I need to take PrEP with food? Nope. You don t need to take r with food or at an specific time of day. The most important thing is taking it every day at the same time. Set a regular practice.

Schedule it between your protein shake and morning run, for example, or right before bed.

Are there other health benefits to taking PrEP? People on PrEP must see their medical providers more frequently—which turns out to improve men’s health overall because the doc will screen you (and treat you) for any sexuallytransmitted infections that might crop up before you’re even aware you have them. Being on PrEP relieves stress and anxiety over potentially becoming HIV-positive, and many say it makes them feel more empowered in taking control of their sexual health. Having conversations with your doctor about your body and sexual habits also have positive impacts on health— and anything you tell them is confidential, so be honest.—GG OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2018 CHILL

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BY DAVID ARTAVIA

MAN in the MIRROR TWENTY YEARS AFTER HE HELPED STELLA GET HER GROOVE BACK, ACTOR TAYE DIGGS REFLECTS ON HIS CAREER, GETTING OLDER, AND STAYING SANE IN A SELF-OBSESSED POST-TRUMP WORLD. long-held tradition of crossing over from stage to screen is embedded in the hearts of many young actors of color, yet very few manage it successfully. In an age where instant gratification dominates consumerism, the need to stay relevant has never been greater. For Taye Diggs, it’s a journey he’s always welcomed but is still anxious to confront.

It’s been 20 years since Diggs shot to international fame after a sexy starring role opposite Angela Bassett (and Whoopi Goldberg) in How Stella Got Her Groove Back. His appeal captured the hearts of women and men, helping him to push through barriers with more challenging characters on stage, film, and TV. Diggs knows how to hustle. Since the early-1990s, he’s constantly proven himself to be one of the most versatile performers of his generation. After starring in the original cast of Rent on Broadway in 1996, the well-rounded actor landed a slew of memorable roles, from his NAACP Image Awardwinning role on ABC’s Private Practice, to recurring roles on The Good Wife, Murder in the First, and Empire. He even voiced a humanoid alley cat in My Little Pony: The Movie.

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Hats off: iggs, a stage, film, and TV actor, has paved the wa for man of toda s o ng lack performers ow he s a dad on the CW s All American.

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Still, he manages to have a sense of humor when sharing the moment a young actor recently told him he was up for a role described as a “Taye Diggs type.”

“It’s surreal,” he says, pondering. “Oh, shit. OK, I’m a type now?” It wasn’t the first time he’s heard that, and while he admits it used to annoy him, now he says he embraces it wholeheartedly. After all, he’s worked his ass off to be a “type.”

Diggs’s fresh attitude is evident in his new role as Billy Baker in The CW’s All American, premiering in October. In the series, he plays a former football star who gets injured in the pros and finds himself coaching young stargazers at Beverly Hills High School.

“We’re dealing with a lot of social issues and identity issues, and obviously the soap opera madness that happens in every high school,” he explains. Of his newfound type, he shrugs, “I’m the coach and a father with two teenage kids. There’s no getting around it: I’m an older dude, you know what I mean?”

In this fall’s film River Runs Red, Diggs again plays a father, one whose son is killed by two police officers who go unpunished—until Diggs takes the law into his own hands.

Back in 2015, Diggs starred as the titular character in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the only Black man to ever take the role on Broadway. Now he’s eager to leverage what he’s learned about the craft, the business, and everything in between to teach young artists on Stage’s Crossovers, which debuts in October.

“It’s great to have the opportunity,” he says of inspiring young people. “If you allow yourself to honor the gifts you’ve been given, good things will happen.”

It is a lesson he learned later in life. As a child, Diggs dreamed of the career he has today in “very broad strokes.” He had “a rocky start: poor, wrong side of the tracks, ghetto,” but remembers the trajectory happening fairly easily. That is, until life forced him to “grow up.” He remembers, “I wanted to be famous. I wanted to be a movie star. I wanted to be on Broadway.

All that stuff happened, but I did not realize life: getting a divorce, breaking up with a girlfriend, having two kids that weren’t mine. All of that. I was like, Wait a minute. This isn’t on the pamphlet.”

These days, he’s struggling to find new ways of evolving inside an industry that’s constantly changing the rules, but he’s still optimistic. “I feel now is one of the best times ever because people have the ability to post a video or tweet or put something on Instagram. People have that.”

With the box office successes of Get Out, Black Panther, and BlacKkKlansman, young artists of color are finally depicting more authentic images of themselves—a far leap from where the world was when he was starting in the industry.

SAMI DRASIN/THE CW

His newest gig has him hosting the streaming show Crossovers on Stage Network (thestagenetwork.com), a show mirroring Inside the Actor’s Studio with James Lipton. Set in front of a live studio audience, Crossovers features Diggs interviewing actors who’ve crossed from stage to screen or vice versa.

As it becomes evident that Hollywood is entering a new frontier where people of color are beginning to have a place at the table to tell their own stories on screen, with the transition, a new lineage of Black legends are also emerging.

They stand on the shoulders of giants like Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, and James Earl Jones, all who famously lept through racist hoops, working twice as hard for fewer roles to achieve equal places in Broadway and cinematic history.

Without a doubt, Diggs has a place at the highest pinnacle and many young performers grew up looking to him as a role model. But the transition from newcomer to legend isn’t an easy one for many actors.

Sitting face-to-face in a private Times Square office in New York City, Diggs offers an introspective look at his life and career. His boyish smile is still bright, attached to a more muscular body than his famous lean chisel in Stella. He speaks softly with words affirming the many lessons he’s learned of the business—the highs, the lows, and managing to rise from the ashes.

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COURTESY STAGE NETWORK (BOTH)

“These young people, Digging in: Taye Diggs talks to Crossovers guest, beloved it’s a different world actress Leslie Uggams (above), and poses with Uggams and for them,” he explains. executive producers Tom Wiggin and Jennifer Dumas “I can’t expect them (right) to truly understand what it was like for me, because they don’t have those issues. I have no idea what the future’s going to be like for them, but I know it’s going to be different than what I grew up with. And a lot of that I think is positive.”

His 9-year-old-son, Walker, is a perfect example of what the future looks like.

“He doesn’t have to look at his classroom and know he’s the only one that looks like him,” Diggs explains, comparing Walker’s experience to his own early development. “He’s not going to grow up with people saying, ‘You talk white.’ He’s just not going to have to deal with that, so that is very interesting to me. And it’s such a big part of who I am. It shaped who I am.”

In fact, Diggs pulled from those early years to write the successful children’s books Chocolate Me!, Mixed Me!, and I Love You More Than…, the latter which was just released this September. Inspired by his son, Diggs wrote the series of books as way to tell Walker he didn’t have to explain himself to anyone.

With illustrations by Shane W. Evans, the series aims to empower young kids of color by displaying how amazing they are inside and out. Clearly, it’s also a testament to how art can change culture.

“I think it’s important for [artists] to be the example and act to others the way we expect or want others to treat us,” he says, adding that arts education changed him, not only as an artist, but into a more empathic and compassionate man.

Today’s young artists are living by new rules, and Diggs is “trying to be accepting and understanding of where we are in the world today,” explaining that “artists are hungry.”

Admittedly, the actor is adjusting to how fast society has evolved since the digital age. When he reaches a roadblock, he remembers the advice one of his idols, Whoopi Goldberg, gave him on the set of How Stella Got Her Groove Back.

Two words: “Keep moving.”

“Do everything you can,” he echoes. “Back when I was coming up, it was looked down upon if you were

a film actor and someone asked you to do TV, or if you were a film actor and you wanted to do commercials or a branding campaign. There were these very delineated lines and limitations. And [Goldberg] said if you stayed who you were and remain true to yourself, everything will come back around. That was big for me.”

Rest assured, he is very keen on how the Trump administration views arts education. And he’s having none of it. In fact, he has to hold his tongue when someone minimizes the importance of the healing power of art.

“I really have to focus on not hating people that feel that way. I really do,” he says bluntly. “I have to concentrate on not thinking that those people are stupid because it’s so obvious to me. I have to work on it. That’s stuff that I have to focus on, because nothing’s going to get better if I think someone else is stupid.”

He’s always ready to have the debate, though he admits he needs to stop himself and find compassion. After all, it’s through compassion that we learn about each other. “I really try to figure out where that person’s coming from to better inform them, or be informed,” he says. “That to me is something I’m learning right now. That to me falls under being a good person. The older I get the more difficult it is. When I was a kid it was: don’t pick your nose, don’t swear, don’t hit your brother and sister. Those are easy. But then the older you get you realize, Wait, if I’m going to really be true to [my mission of finding compassion], I gotta really be true to it. And that’s not easy.”

Walker teaches him, too. “When my son comes home and says, ‘I hate Trump,” I really want to high five. But I have to teach him, ‘Okay, you don’t know this guy and let’s not use the word hate.’ That forces me to look at everything differently.”

Now that he has an opportunity to pass the torch to younger artists, he’s utilizing Goldberg’s advice in a new way.

“I feel like we’re on the precipice of some really big shit,” he says. “I feel like a lot of art after [Trump] is going to be crazy because people are creating. I think that’s always good at the end of the day. That’s a force. What we do with it and how people use it is one thing, but at the end of the day, people are creating, and I think that’s good.”

He adds,“We have the freedom and ability to post a video or tweet or put something on Instagram, so utilize that or find that place in between being true to who you are and standing up for what you believe, but at the same time, being understanding of those in opposition. I think that’s a struggle that is worth fighting for.”

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And the Oscar Should Go To… SPIKE LEE’S LATEST FILM, BLACKKKLANSMAN, IS THE INCREDIBLE TRUE STORY OF HOW A BLACK MAN KICKED THE KKK’S ASS.

BY D I M I T R I M O I SE A N D DAV I D A R TAV I A

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Spike Lee’s brilliant new film details the incredible true story of detective on Stallworth’s infiltration of the KKK in the 1970s.

“Initially at the first mini pitch, I was like, ‘All right. So this is obviously make-believe or some kind of satire.’ But no, it was a true story.

And I did my research, read the book, and I got to meet Ron. He passed around his Ku Klux Klan card and made it even more real.”

Lee had a similar reaction when producer Jordan Peele called him up with the idea of turning Stallworth’s memoir into a movie.

“I had never heard of Ron Stallworth before until Jordan Peele told me,” Lee says.

“Jordan Peele called me up. He said him and his producers from Get Out had purchased the book already and had a script written.”

With BlacKkKlansman, Lee—the pioneering auteur behind Do the Right Thing and Malcom X—reminds us of the horrors we still face as a nation every day. History repeats itself, and racism is alive and well. At a pivotal point in the film, viewers witness Stallworth’s

Klan initiation intercut with Harry Belafonte—yes, the real Harry Belafonte— speaking to the Black Student Union. The images of white power vs. Black Power begs us to ask the hard questions we so often avoid.

Has America really dealt with its racism?

Another wrenching scene is when Stallworth uses racist language, including the N-word, over the phone while pretending to be a Klan member. Washington says the language was “harsh,” but for good reason. “It’s not for shock value. It was the kind of lexicon that was used to get [Ron] in to penetrate the Ku Klux Klan,” he explains. “This is how they talked. That’s how people talked at their family barbecues in their backyards.”

The perspective of Black women was also beautifully portrayed through the character of Patrice Dumas (Laura Harrier), a staunch activist of the Black Power movement who

COURTESY FOCUS FEATURES (ALL IMAGES,BOTH PAGES)

for Oscar-winning director Spike Lee, there’s no other name for Donald Trump than Agent Orange.

Throughout Lee’s conversation with Chill, the president’s name was never muttered. Not once. As soon as he describes the behaviors of Agent Orange, it was evident who he was talking about.

For those who don’t know, Agent Orange was the code name for a powerful herbicide used by U.S. military forces during the Vietnam War to eliminate forest cover and crops for North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops. Orange also happens to resemble the color of our current president’s spraytanned skin.

Lee’s new film, BlacKkKlansman, released to critical acclaim in August, is based on Ron Stallworth’s 2014 memoir, Black Klansman.

The film version is littered with targets, and Lee hits the nail on the head every time.

Founded on actual events that happened in the 1970s, the film follows Stallworth (played by John David Washington), the first Black detective to serve in the Colorado Springs Police Department, as he sets out on a dangerous mission to infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan.

Stallworth teams up with a Jewish colleague Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) to use his identity and uncover truths about the racist organization in person, while Stallworth carries the charade over the phone.

The film beautifully weaves Zimmerman’s experiences—of passing and code-switching in the world of white supremacists—with Stallworth’s own experiences as a Black man in the world, particularly in the all-white police department. The parallels of colorism are clear, and Lee makes this known throughout Stallworth and Zimmerman’s journey.

Together, the duo set out to take down the hate group just as the KKK aims to sanitize its violent rhetoric to appeal to the mainstream.

Stallworth ends up becoming a member of the KKK, without anyone discovering who the man actually is. The real Stallworth was given a KKK membership card from the once grand wizard, David Duke, himself. The story of how he succeeded in infiltrating the KKK was even astonishing for the man who played Stallworth on screen.

“This one slipped through the cracks,” says Washington, who attended Atlanta’s Morehouse, a historically Black college.

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acts as both a love interest and anchor to Stallworth. For the actress, the importance of taking part of a mainstream film where the Black man wins didn’t go unnoticed.

“As people of color, minorities, you are in a lot of spaces that aren’t made for you and aren’t made to make you feel comfortable,” says Harrier. “I think they talk about a lot of that in the movie, code-switching, this image of duality as Black people in America. It’s definitely reality, entering a space where it wasn’t made for you and you feel really not welcome and how do we, first of all, try to change those to begin with?”

What makes Lee’s vision of BlacKkKlansman so brilliant is the fact that every single character is given a whole

(still beloved by audiences for his sweet teen role on That ‘70s Show) portrays Duke in a way that allows us to see a soul behind the monster. There are moments we even find ourselves laughing along with him only to be slapped back in the face with the blatant reminder of who David Duke really is.

For Grace himself, tapping into the mindset wasn’t easy. In one particular scene, Duke leads his fellow Klansmen during a viewing of The Birth of a Nation, a vehemently racist film depicting the KKK as heroes and Black men (portrayed by white actors in blackface) as savages. The scene took a week to shoot, and it proved especially hard for Grace, who, as Duke, needed to celebrate the movie while the others followed suit.

When describing the atmosphere of America today, Lee coins a phrase on the spot, arguing we’re suffering from PSTD— Post-Slavery Traumatic Disorder. (The idea is not far off from the theory of PTSS: Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome, coined by Dr. Joy DeGruy in her 2005 book, Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing.)

BlacKkKlansman can’t help but remind us that we are still dealing with repercussions of slavery today. Black America is still under attack. Black people are still being shot day after day. Black lives don’t matter to large swaths of people. And as a community, we are still dealing with slavery’s aftermath.

Director Lee touches on complex issues around racism and white supremacy in this country through diverse characters and real-life people in the film

and complex set of layers. Nothing feels stereotypical. From the struggles Stallworth faces as a Black man in the police force during a pivotal time not only for Black America and its need for liberation from The Man, but also for the white nationalists who realized they needed to change the robes to suits in order to keep their hatred alive.

“He was very American. He was a patriot. He believed in his country. He wanted to protect and serve his community.

That means all mankind,” Washington says of the real Stallworth. He adds that another big takeaway is the “support he received from men that were white, the white officers that believed just as much as he did in the sting operation and didn’t compromise it in any way.”

Even the grand wizard of the KKK, David Duke, is human in the film. Topher Grace

“I’m not a method actor so I never bring it home,” Grace prefaces, “but this was so overwhelming and negative. I’d chant something [in the scene] and 200 people followed my lead. I [had] never sat and watched The Birth of a Nation.”

When it was clearly getting to be too much for Grace, the actor says Lee decided to step in “Spike came up to me, and he was like, ‘This week sucks but this is going to serve the message I’m trying to say,’” Grace recalls.

“And he got me through it. That’s what you want in a director.”

Indeed, the journey Lee takes us on with Stallworth is a big one. In Stallworth’s small victory, he is able to prove the power in owning your Blackness. By the end of it all, we witness a man who claims his identity.

It shouldn’t be lost on us that the film begins with the Civil War battlefield and ends with tiki torches marching in Charlottesville, Virginia.

“There’s a lot of stuff. We’ve been taught to hate ourselves,” Lee explains. “And I believe, in my heart of hearts, that in our deep psyche, we’re dealing with post-slavery stuff now. We’re still dealing with it and we don’t even know it.”

“It’s hard to come up in the educational system of the United States of America when it was built on lies,” Lee adds. “They start you in kindergarten with fucking George Washington and the cherry tree. That was a lie. I mean, it’s all lies. The truth is, that this country was built on the genocide of Native Americans and slavery. And if we don’t start there, I don’t know what to say. Let’s start at the beginning. White superiority is a lie.”

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HIGH ANXIETY

DEMO TAPED IS BREAKING BIG WITH MAD BEATS, SMART SONGS, AND THOUGHTS ON MASCULINITY AND MENTAL HEALTH.

emo Taped is the epitome of a quiet storm. Hailing from Atlanta, Ga., the music prodigy is an icon in the making. Unabashedly cool and unapologetically quirky, Demo Taped (born Adam Alexander) showed up to chat in true creative form, with his keyboards and sound equipment in tow.

“I drove right down from a show in San Francisco,” Demo Taped explains, demonstrating the passion he has for his work. The singer-songwriter, producer, musician wears many hats.

But today, he’s wearing a cotton candy-pink sweatband.

The striking presence Demo Taped cuts in person is reflected in his music, colored with strong electronic beats and house-infused tunes. The 20-year-old says he pulls inspiration from a wide range of musicians, from Flying Lotus to Herbie Hancock. Demo Taped also cites his father as one of his greatest inspirations.

“I grew up watching him in the church play the bass guitar. That was something. It’s incredible.”

For him, music goes back as far as he can remember.

“I was 4 years old when I started playing piano. And I really hated it. But I’m happy that my parents [made me], because my piano teacher was actually the one who discovered I could sing and after that, I was playing and singing. I started making music when I was around maybe fifth grade. I started writing things, writing out other notations, things I would write on the piano, and then I got my first Mac computer and yeah that’s what sparked it, got on Garage Band and just start playing around.”

Demo Taped released his debut three-song EP Heart in early 2015 followed by a single titled “Not Enough.” Other singles “Open Arms” with the artist RKCB and “Game On,” his first under 300 Entertainment, came out in 2016. His first live performance came on Spotify’s Pigeons and Planes No Ceiling show at South by Southwest. Throughout 2016, he toured with the British singer Nao in the United Kingdom and indie pop group Wet in the United States.

The artist says he’s always looking for ways to tell impactful stories through his work. He uses his music as a creative outlet, but also uses his platform and the power of music as a method for change, rewriting norms, and tackling major topics, like views on masculinity, and emotional and mental health issues.

In his recently released video for “Pack of Gum,” viewers see Demo Taped embrace his anxiety with a stop-start animation love story that features actual pieces of gum. He talks openly about his struggles with depression and anxiety and is very interested in addressing the taboo that surrounds mental health in the Black community.

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SAVANA OGBURN

BY GERALD GARTH

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MAT T ROURKE/ AP PHOTO (JAY-Z/BEYONCÉ); AP PHOTO (MANDEL A)

MUSIC “When my anxiety was at its peak, it affected me physically.

Sometimes I would get sick and so I resorted to carrying around a pack of gum at all times.”

He adds, “It’s not too hard to go over those subjects for me.

It’s something that I feel needs to be said, especially the mental illness thing. It’s something that we need to talk about more and more so that we can break the stigma, because it’s crazy.”

His last EP, Momentary, gives listeners a further glimpse into his anxiety, panic attacks, and insecurities. Demo Taped explains his process on the album: “What I did was before each session I wrote down thoughts, ideas, fears, things I like, things I don’t like, I just wrote it all down in this sort of stream of consciousness way and I took that to each session, basically that was the playbook.

I didn’t want to go too far from it. I wanted to be very real and very true to me, and I think I did just that.”

Already working on his next EP, Demo Taped says, “After that I’m working on my first album. This process is kind of deeper and I’m getting more into what it is and who I am and trying to piece that together and figure that out in a musical way.”

As an artist, he has creative visions beyond music. “I really wanted to be a filmmaker—a director actually. And you know, that was kind of my dream for the longest time, and it’s still something I really want, so I came from that visual world and now it bleeds over into the music, and I kind of view what I’m producing—a few things—as kind of a scene in time and a moment in time and it really helps me to just build a world around the track.”

But despite his attraction to visual stories, Demo Taped acknowledges the power of music, “It’s something that I’ve really just come to appreciate more and more over time.

I’ve had people come up to me at shows and say the [music] that’s kind of helped them in some way, and that—I’ll never get used to that.

It’s really an incredible thing to hear. … [Music] is just a powerful thing.”

Happy Birthday Mr. President: Beyonce and Jay-Z will headline a concert to honor what would be the 100th birthday of the late Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s former president and anti-apartheid leader

#BETHEGENERATION BEYONCÉ & JAY-Z JOIN GLOBAL CITIZEN IN SOUTH AFRICA

BY ASHLEY SCHEIBELHUT

Jay-Z and Beyoncé, currently globe-trotting for their On The Run II tour, will take a break to perform in South Africa to honor Nelson Mandela’s remarkable life and enduring legacy.

The Carters will headline the Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 in Johannesburg on December 2. The festival will run for three days and feature numerous celebrities, musicians, and notables including Oprah Winfrey (giving a keynote speech), hosts Tyler Perry and Naomi Campbell, and performers including Wizkid, Usher, Eddie Vedder, Pharrell Williams, Cassper Nyovest, D’banj, Tiwa Savage, and Chris Martin. Mandela—who was imprisoned nearl ears d ring apartheid and later became o th frica s first Black president—died in 2013. The event is one in a series of music fests encouraging millennials to “be the generation,” creating a movement of “engaged citizens who are using their collective voice to end extreme poverty by 2030.” (Download the app at globalcitizen.org and you can earn ticket discounts.)

Black Royalty: In this 2003 photo, former South African President Nelson Mandela kisses Beyoncé at the Nelson Mandela enefit Concert in Cape Town, South Africa

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WATCH OUT FOR

SO FLY

The o nger brother of Chance the apper is standing on his own Fans don’t have to wait any longer for Taylor Bennett’s latest album, Be Yourself. The new EP has a total of six songs, including a collaboration with Young Thug called “Better Than You Ever Been,” and features other sick collabs with Bianca Shaw, Supa BWE, and Zxxc.

Plucked from the South Side of Chicago, Bennett is a rising musician to watch in the hip-hop scene. Recently, Interview named him the “Next Generation Rapper” as well as one of 2018’s breakout stars. Last year he came out as bisexual and used his music to express the importance of doing so. It’s no surprise that his album takes listeners to a deeper level as the young star holds a mirror up to himself and the world.

Enamored by the idea of transparency, Bennett has spent the last year working on the project he described as “reading from his journal.” The intimate—sometimes uncomfortably intimate—truth is something he felt necessary to speak about.

Upon the album’s release, he shared thoughts about the new work with fans on social media, saying, “I’m making this project for our future, and for our children… No one is innocent in this conversation and no group of people are at fault for the flaws in our society… I’m not saying ‘Be Black,’ ‘Be gay,’ or ‘Be different,’ I’m just saying ‘Be yourself.’” (@taylorbennett)

—DAVID ARTAVIA

HOPE FLOATS

Agent Sasco (formerly known as ssassin dropped his fourth album, Hope River, in September. The album fuses hiphop, dancehall, and reggae into a booming biographical journey of the artist’s life. With powerful lyrics and equally impactful melodies, Billboard magazine argues Hope River is the “most cohesive album of Sasco’s career thus far Containing collaborations with Jamaican artists like Stonebwoy, Kabaka Pyramid, Glacia Robinson, and Spragga en , there s no do bt this alb m co ld jumpstart a new awakening in the hip hop world, inspiring o ng lack artists to dig deeper into their roots.

Hope River is here to remind us that our stories, our lives, our histories matter.

—DA

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WINSLOW TOWNSON/INVISION/AP (BENNET T); COURTESY OF DIAMOND STUDIOS (SASCO)

TAYLOR MADE

SuperFly, a 2018 remake of the 1972 blaxploitation classic Super Fly, hit the theaters this summer, premiering to mixed reviews.

Variety said the reboot traded the original’s “drugdealer-as-outlaw-capitalist mythology for a glossy, slammed-together genre ick ow a f ll remastered l ra version of the ‘70s classic has also landed from Warner Archive, and it’s everything you could hope for. Super Fly bit l per l l created a sensation when it originally screened.

Viewers fell in love with the cocky o ngblood riest on eal , a cocaine dealer trying to quit the business and escape the criminal underworld—despite it being the one place a lack man in merica co ld make more than “chump change, da after da ade with a b dget of $100,000, the Gordon Parks, Jr.directed film got oll wood s attention and its stripped-down grittiness still resonates. The soundtrack, written and prod ced b C rtis a field, climbed to the top of the charts and became as beloved as Super Fly itself.

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ENTERTAINMENT

NO MIRACLES, BUT SOME HOPE

The discrimination facing people of color in the U.S. can’t be easily resolved but these books show our resiliency and ways forward.

Black Boys Apart: Racial Uplift and Respectability in All-Male Public Schools by Freeden Blume Oeur is a compelling endorsement for all-male public schooling for Black boys and young men. The book brilliantly illustrates the surprising success of this holistic method of education, which mixes democratic empowerment, strict discipline—and intentional racial segregation and sex separation— with a warm, loving environment of Black brotherhood. His articulate analysis calls on us to rethink Black masculinity and imagines a humane alternative to how many Black boys are currently educated in America’s overly-policed school-to-incarceration pipeline.

(University of Minnesota Press)

—DESIRÉE GUERRERO

Raw: My Journey into the Wu Tang by Lamont “U-God” Hawkins takes us deep into the tumultuous life of a lesser-known member of the legendary ‘90s hip-hop institution, Wu Tang Clan. The gritty memoir delves into the rapper’s youth, spent in Staten Island projects, where Hawkins witnessed traumatic violence and overwhelming despair—and developed a hardened exterior for his own protection. He got involved in the drug trade and spent time in prison. In Raw, Hawkins bravely expresses his vulnerabilities—even his hurt at how some members of the Clan (many who’d been friends since childhood) turned their backs on him during his darkest times.

(Picador)—DG

HATE: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship by the former president of the ACLU, Nadine Strossen, is a comprehensive examination of the issues surrounding hate speech and the efficac of censorship, which Strossen posits are frequently counterproductive. Instead, she finds the best answer to hate speech is more free speech to counter its destructive impact on oppressed communities and peoples.

Outlawing offensive speech often leads to abuses against legitimate speech and ends up hurting those such laws seek to protect. (Oxford University Press)

—DONALD PADGETT

The Denial of Antiblackness: Multiracial Redemption & Black Suffering by João H. Costa Vargas argues that antiblackness is inherent in the institutional structure of the U.S. (in complicity with the “cisheteropatriarchy”).

Vargas warns that multiracial unity, which recognizes the discrimination and violence facing the Black community, but not its structural roots, exposes fear of Black autonomy. He didn’t predict the ascendancy of blatant white supremist forces that followed Tr mp into office o, it s ironic that he calls for a revolution “rendering normative politics meaningless… [a] negation of institutional calibration.” We’re already there.

(University of Minnesota Press) —JACOB ANDERSON-MINSHALL

THE FUNNY PEOPLE

ALEX HASS (LOVE)

This power couple is killing it in film and music, including in a video featuring a Notorious B.I.G. band mate.

There Will Be No Miracles Here: A Memoir by the founder of MBAs Across America, Casey Gerald, uses creatively fresh and unconventional storytelling methods to recount his incredible journey from a childhood of poverty to giving the opening speech ahead of Barack Obama at SXSW 2016. Gerald used his prowess in sports as a vehicle to Yale University and later Harvard Business School. He breaks down complex issues at the intersection of race, class, religion, sexuality, and masculinity for readers with intelligence, honesty, and humor.

Gerald’s thought-provoking TED Talk, “The Gospel of Doubt,” has been viewed over 1.5 million times. Here’s why. (Penguin Random House)—DG

Only 36 percent of Americans believe Native Americans face significant discrimination, making There There—a novel by Tommy Orange—a necessary read. In it, a dozen urban Indians struggle with ramifications of cent ries of systemic abuse. A sense of foreboding grows as their lives push them inexorably toward a single moment where they’ll all collide at an Oakland Pow-wow.

The climactic moment hinges on the use of 3-D printed guns and a remotely piloted drone— and leaves behind numerous casualties—all making the story painfully relevant right now. The conclusion reveals the undeniable truth of Indian resiliency and the bonds of indigenous kinship.

(Alfred A. Knopf)—JAM

A self-proclaimed “Jewish Beyoncé and Jay-Z,” are ruling the internet with their feelgood song and video, “LOVE.” Brianne Berkson and Miguel Gluckstern are also behind the comedy series, BriGuel, about life as artists in New York City. Each episode introduces a new song: “LOVE” features Terrence Harding, i.e. Kleptomaniac “Klept” from Notorious B.I.G.’s rap group Junior M.A.F.I.A. The couple “want to make the world happier through our comedy and music,” Berkson says. “We make fun of ourselves, share our truth, and create work that puts more light in the world.” As descendants of Holocaust survivors, Gluckstern says “It’s our purpose to do this work because of our history and the pain our family, and humanity at large, experienced.”

More than simple comedians, the couple has broader skills. Berkson recently starred in Dare—alongside Rooney Mara, Emmy Rossum, and Alan Cumming—and in Bad Vegan and the Teleportation Machine, a film she also produced and co-wrote. Gluckstern has been rapping since he was 10, performing music globally. As a filmmaker, Gluckstern debuted directorially with the movie Tom’s Dilemma, and with the music video “YEMEN” for Spanish rapper Kase.O.—DA OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2018 CHILL

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PARADISE, NO PASSPORT NEEDED

ROAMING ROOSTERS, GHOST STORIES, DAY DRINKING—AND VERY LITTLE CLOTHING—SPICE UP LIFE IN KEY WEST.

hough known to many as a (white) writer’s mecca because of literary legend Ernest Hemingway’s longtime residence there, Key West, Fla., is so much more. The laidback tropical paradise is within U.S. borders, so you don’t need a passport—but at only 90 miles north of Cuba, and with an increasingly eclectic and sexy young crowd, this little American island feels worlds away from the mainland. Thanks to a hip new European hostel-style, adults-only hotel, it’s also surprisingly budget-friendly.

If the sound of “hostel-style” lodging conjures up images of community showers shared with backpacking hippies, think again. The twist at the NYAH, an acronym for Not Your Average Hotel, is that any room can be configured to

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accommodate a single traveler, a pair of vacationing friends, or a bachelor party of six, each with their own bed and without any added fees. And fear not, all rooms have their own private bathrooms and showers.

Nestled in a residential street lush with palm trees, tropical foliage, and pastel Victorian homes, NYAH’s cozy white cottages blend perfectly into its easy-breezy surroundings.

Rather than demolish and rebuild, the developers wisely decided to renovate and combine several former private residences to create this unique vacation destination, keeping much of the island’s history and charm literally within its walls.

Due to its prime position connecting the U.S. to the Caribbean, the southernmost island of the Florida Keys, also known as the Conch Republic, has a rich and rebellious history when it comes to people of color. When three illegal slave

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BY DESIRÉE GUERRERO

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DIAMOND PR (WATER, PIE, BIKES); NYAH (FRONT EXTERIOR); FLORIDA KEYS NEWS BUREAU (DANCERS); DESIREEGUERRERO (KAYAK)

TRAVEL

Clockwise from left Lazy Dog Adventures kayak trip, amazing views aboard a Danger Charters sunset sail, exterior of a NYAH guesthouse, a bunch of crazy journalists riding our bikes around Key West, a delicious slice of key lime pie from Blue Heaven, and some divas doing their thang at Fantasy Fest 2017.

ships were intercepted and diverted to Key West in 1890, the locals rallied to provide food, shelter, and medical treatment to the over 1,400 Africans who were rescued. The nearly 300 who still died were buried in unmarked graves—in what is now called the African Refugee Cemetery, which is included on the National Register of Historic Places. That’s just one example of the island’s fascinating and complicated past, which also involves being a safe haven for Cuban patriots in the late-1800s, including many famous female revolutionaries.

costume festival for grown-ups. Think Halloween, island style—and it’s all about eye candy with an endless parade of wildly creative and skin-baring costumes (and gorgeous people in them).

Just over four miles across at its widest point, Key West is easily traversed by foot or bicycle. NYAH, which conveniently has onsite bike rentals, is only a few minutes walk or ride to almost all of the island’s most popular hot spots, including club-lined Duval Street, where the party never ends. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, check out the clothing-optional bar, Garden of Eden. I never did figure out if there was an official “last call” time in town, though I do recall stumbling past packed pubs and through lively, crowd-filled streets well into the middle of the night on my way back to NYAH (nyahhotels.com). Ubers and Lyfts are

Though over half of the island’s current population is white, Key West’s non-white population includes a diverse mix of people of color, most of whom are of Cuban, Nicaraguan, Haitian, or Columbian descent. If you’re visiting on October 19, don’t miss the colorful Goombay Festival celebrating the island’s Bahamian heritage.

Key West is well known for its annual festivals that keep the party going year-round. The biggest and sexiest by far is Fantasy Fest (fantasyfest.com), held October 19-28 this year, which is a 10-day, themed,

available though, in the event anyone becomes, well, unable to walk or pedal.

For breakfast I highly recommend fueling up at the artsy outdoor café, Blue Heaven (blueheavenkw.com). Not only will their bomb Lobster Benedict and signature Bloody Marys have you feeling right as rain after a late night out, the whimsical atmosphere—which includes eccentric local art, free roaming roosters, and a huge banyan tree in the courtyard—will lift any lagging spirits. Oh, and don’t leave without trying their signature Key Lime Pie (with meringue), truly a slice of heaven.

If you’re hungry for more history, or still a little hungover and looking for a mellow day trip, hit up the Hemingway House (hemingwayhome.com). Walking the gorgeous grounds of this grand Victorian home while listening to a lively tour OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2018 CHILL

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TR AVEL laws (you didn’t hear it from me)— makes for a fun nighttime group outing and opportunity to socialize.

Back at the hotel, don’t forget to chillax at one of NYAH’s several private adults-only pools and spas, which quickly fill with sexy singles from all over the world. The small, separate pool areas keep the feel of the space intimate while allowing folks the freedom to cruise around and mingle between groups—and the reasonably priced drinks from the lobby don’t hurt either. And this is exactly the kind of experience NYAH founders had in mind when they created the innovative property.

“The NYAH concept has done really well with the new generation of travelers who favor flexibility and cost-effective perks,” says Jesper Arnoldsson, who cofounded the hotel with his brother Gustaf. “In fact, the hotel and the concept have done so well that in 2019 we will be opening a second NYAH property in Miami Beach.”

Beyond the island’s colorful past and festive present, Key West possesses a thriving ecological system and encourages on-the-water activities like snorkeling, kayaking, and sailing (no experience needed—see below for some cool naturethemed excursions). It could take months,

Get Your Nature On

Take in the island’s enchanting natural side.

LAZY DOG ECOLOGICAL KAYAK TOUR Lazy Dog Adventures’ ecological kayak tours are unrushed two-hour guided tours through beautiful mangroves o ll see starfish, n rse sharks, conchs, and possibl an el sive manatee. (lazydog.com) Nearby grub: Signature sandwiches and strong drinks at Hogfish Bar & Grill. hogfishbar com DANGER CHARTERS SUNSET SAIL TOUR Enjoy one of Key West’s famous sunsets on a sailboat cr ise b anger Charters, which incl des complimentar wine, beer, and tasty hors’ devours. (dangercharters.com) Nearby grub: Two Friends Patio Restaurant, known for its local seafood dishes, also make one bomb ass b rger twofriends com

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if not years, to experience all the fun and adventure to be had in Key West, which is why many that visit never leave— overcome by a phenomenon the locals call “Keys disease.”

Before taking the three-hour car ride back across the Overseas Highway to Miami International Airport the next morning (you can fly straight in and out of Key West, but it’ll cost you), I was fortunate enough to have chosen First Flight Island Restaurant & Brewery (firstflightkw.com) to enjoy my final dinner on the island. Though there’s seating available in its historic main building—it was the birthplace of Pan American World Airways in 1927—most nights are warm and dry enough to enjoy their “garden canopy” patio seating. Sipping wine and dining on their delectable Seared Scallops under banyan trees, palms, and twinkling stars made this one of the more romantic stops on the trip.

Yes, it’s easy to see how one could catch Keys disease after a few fun-filled days and sexy nights here (other symptoms include an aversion to socks and deadlines). A quote by famed playwright Tennessee Williams painted on a sign on the island’s South Beach, where he once swam daily, pretty much sums it up: “I work everywhere, but I work best here.”

KEY WEST BUTTERFLY & NATURE CONSERVATORY This conservator , which incl des a learning center and an art galler , has over species of b tter ies and e otic bird species cr ising aro nd its l sh tropical habitat ke westb tter com earb gr b Just down the road in the historic Bahama Village is Blue Macaw Island Eats & Bar, the perfect spot to listen to live music while enjoying tropical drinks and conch fritters (bluemacawkeywest.com) MALLORY SQUARE SUNSET CELEBRATION Another great way to take in the sunset is at this nightl part in allor are n o live m sic, local art, food, and street performers as the s n dips into the G lf of e ico in the backgro nd mallor s are com earb grub: Devour some insanely good Caribbean cuisine—and take in a turtle race—at Turtle Kraals. (turtlekraals.com)—DG

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guide recount the writer’s many affairs and adventures makes this a fun and worthwhile stop. Also roaming the property are dozens of polydactyl (sixtoed) cats—which he believed brought good luck—and, many say, the ghost of the man himself. Certainly, there is an eerie energy to the private writing studio where Hemingway eventually took his own life, and which remains preserved as he left it.

If you’re in need of a little hair of the dog rather than six-toed cats, head over to the Hemingway Rum Company’s Key West Distillery & Experience Center (papaspilar.com), where you can sip on award-winning Papa’s Pilar rums and tour the distillery, which is housed in a cool old tobacco warehouse built in 1878 by Irish bricklayers.

If it’s more ghost stories ye seek, there is no shortage—just about every local on the island has one. For a fun change of pace, try Sloan’s Key West Ghost Hunt (hauntedkeywest.com), a 90-minute walking tour during which an enthusiastic tour guide mixes local lore with creepy factual tidbits.

Sloan’s goes beyond your typical haunted tour by actually giving you bona fide ghost hunting equipment to use, which—combined with the Old Town area’s “relaxed” open container

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TR AVEL

F RO M T H E P ROJ E C T S T O T H E S L O P E S SOMETIMES ALL YOU NEED IS A SNOWBOARD AND A CHANCE.

BY SAVAS ABADSIDIS

Hairston adds that “one thing I learned was that the snowboarding scene in upstate New York was really big back in the day. Many people who are influential within the industry come from here. The idea was that if we could lower the barrier of entry for kids who didn’t have the money, it would also help revive the upstate snowboarding vibe. Dan also introduced me to the book Shop Class as Soulcraft, which got us thinking and talking about how we could provide career paths in the industry for kids who might not go down the college route.”

The team conducted a six-week intensive program called “Learn to Snowboard” at Windham Mountain with 20 kids from the struggling, disenfranchised Poughkeepsie City School District. Wyndham Mountain Resort provided SHRED with free lift tickets, snowboard lessons, and rentals. SHRED also received a grant from the National Winter Sports Education Foundation, “which was huge for us because it helped increase the number of youth and also paid for transportation,” says Hairston.

He explains that it is only because of his personal relationships and background at Burton, and his other friends in the snowboard industry, that SHRED is able to bring urban youth from Poughkeepsie to the mountain. “Because of our partnerships and friends in the snowboard industry, we are able to provide the program free of charge.”

That’s an experience that’s particularly important in The Bricks, says Hairston.

“Many of the kids that live here don’t know anything outside a 10-block radius—that’s their whole world— so it is a great thrill to get those kids up to the mountain.”

COURTESY SHRED

When the SHRED Foundation partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., it was a risky proposition. Hudson Garden Apartments, where the club is based, is an especially crime-ridden housing project in the city. It is more commonly known as “The Bricks” for its blocky, prison-like appearance. It’s an unlikely locale for a snowboarding program.

“That’s the thing though,” SHRED founder Danny Hairston (pictured below) says, “for all its perception in the community, The Bricks is also where the kids need this experience the most.”

He continues: “SHRED was the result of multiple conversations I had back in 2014 with my good friend Dan, a sales rep for some of the most popular snowboard brands in the industry. He was Transworld Snowboarding magazine’s Mid-Atlantic sales rep of the year around that time.”

Prior to moving to New York’s Hudson Valley, Hairston had worked with the national staff for Burton Snowboards’ youth program, Chill (no relation to Chill magazine), and then as senior program manager for Stoked Mentoring.

“Dan and I talked about the need of creating a youth snowboarding program for underserved and disadvantaged upstate kids,” Hairston says. “We, as snowboarders, know firsthand the life-changing experiences that snowboarding can provide. The fact that we had these communities so close to so many mountains and resorts, but no way for the kids to experience them, drew our attention. New York State has more ski areas than any other state in the country, so this was something that we felt we could change.”

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YOUR HAIR TYPES & SOLUTIONS BREAKING DOWN HAIR AND THE PERFECT PRODUCTS FOR YOUR DO

BY GERALD GARTH

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GROOMING

rom locs, ‘fros, and cornrows, to the deep Caesar, Black men have their fair share of hair looks. With that comes a fair share of products.

Be it oils, serums, or lotions, having the right product for your hair and style is key.

Similarly, the beard journey for men has gone anywhere from full and lush to clean-shaven. One thing about hair is that everybody’s experience is different and not all hair is created equal. How many of you found out the hard way you were using the wrong razor?

Many men of color, particularly Black men, deal most

with dry, brittle, or tangled hair, resulting in breakage that slows growth and combats desired styling. Also, because of the varying types of hair and ways Black men’s hair grows, we must make sure we’re doing what’s best for our hair and our skin types.

Most of us assume efficient haircare is expensive, time consuming, and tedious, but it doesn’t have to be.

Distinguishing hair styles from hair types is crucial.

Braids, ‘locs, twists, deep waves, and other techniques created from natural or unprocessed hair are considered hair styles. These are the main hair types:

STRAIGHT: NORMALLY GROWS WITHOUT BENDING. LAYS DOWN AFTER A CERTAIN LENGTH.

WAVY: BENDABLE HAIR THAT RANGES FROM FINE TO COARSE AND SHAPES INTO AN “S” PATTERN.

COILED: TAKES ON CURLY DEFINITION (LOOSE OR CORKSCREW) AND USUALLY MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO FRIZZ.

KINKY: MOST KNOWN AS AFROTEXTURED, HAIR THAT FORMS VERY TIGHT AND SMALL CURLS RIGHT FROM THE SCALP.

BALD: NOT A HAIR TYPE, BUT A STYLE WITH A RECOMMENDED REGIMEN.

Similarly, we should recognize our beard hair type and make sure we are using the most appropriate products. Healthy hair goes with healthy skin so it’s also important to give your skin what it needs—just like your hair and beard.

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GRO O MING

OUR TOP PICKS THIS MONTH.

JANE CARTER SOLUTION NOURISH & SHINE “I literally use this from head to toe. This all-natural product is a concentrated blend of mango and shea butters, vitamins, and essential oils. Designed for coarse hair and dry skin, this nourisher never leaves you feeling greasy or looking too shiny. I call it my perfect ‘anti-ash!’” (janecartersolution.com, $22)—GG

CLINIQUE FOR MEN FACE SCRUB “This product is great for schlepping away dead skin as well as sweat and oil build up, which can cause breakouts, ingrown hairs, clogged pores, and wrinkles. It wakes up the face and it smells great.

Repeat after me: Men. Must.

Exfoliate.” (clinique.com, $21)—GG

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TREE HUT SHEA BODY BUTTER “This is my favorite lotion/body butter ever. It’s natural, I love the smell, and it’s super hydrating. It leaves my skin feeling fresh and smelling good all day. And it’s especially great in the winter when your skin is its driest.” (treehutshea.com, $22) —JAMES BROWN III

BEARD AND COMPANY BEARD GROWTH GROOMING KIT Comes with these all-natural products: Beard Shampoo, Beard Conditioner, Beard Growth Oil, and Beard Growth Balm. “I’ve used this for over a year and a half.

Their growth & strength balm and oil help my beard grow evenly, then I switched to the protect balm to maintain. I love that they are all natural.” (beardandcompany.com, $60)—JB

BOUNCE CURL MEDIUM MOISTURE CURLY SHAMPOO KIT “I need my curls to be hydrated and soft without looking like gel. I love this all-natural product. I wash my hair daily with it, then put on leave-in conditioner. It dries soft and moisturized!” (bouncecurl.com, $51)—JB

GOING CLEAN

SHEA MOISTURE JAMAICAN BLACK CASTOR OIL STRENGTHEN & RESTORE STYLING LOTION “This product helps bring life into my hair. After the lotion is in and my hair picked out, my hair feels stronger, looks sleeker, and stays put. And it smells great.” (sheamoisture.com, $13) —DIMITRI MOISE

KIEHL’S MIDNIGHT RECOVERY CONCENTRATE “Put Kiehl’s on your face before you head to sleep and feel your face reinvigorate instantly!

This product restores and hydrates dry skin and leaves my face feeling soft and smooth, thanks to its blend of essential oils.” (sephora.com, $47)—DM

CERAVE SOOTHING ECZEMA CREAMY OIL “Eczema is a common condition among the highly melanated, and this lotion is perfect for it. It’s fragrance-free, feels so good on the skin, and stops itchiness almost instantly.

Even for those who don’t have eczema, it’s great for moisturizing.” (cerave.com, $12)—DM

NAW BRUH, ORGANIC GROOMING PRODUCTS AREN’T JUST FOR WOMEN.

BY DIMITRI MOISE

Before chemist Clarissa Shetler cofounded C2 California Clean, a skincare line without harmful chemical ingredients, she spent four years researching over-the-counter grooming and beauty products. Her discovery? Many of our deodorants and skin and hair products are full of chemical compounds that affect the skin and body.

“In OTC deodorants, shaving, and hair products, companies can put in whatever they want,” Shetler says because they aren’t regulated the way prescriptions meds are. “The FDA doesn’t have to do a callout of how toxic they are.”

Many guys don’t really know what chemicals we are putting on our bodies, but C2 only uses ingredients that won’t harm the body. (Say goodbye to common ingredients like benzalkonium chloride, Bisphenol A, coal tar, and formaldehyde, for example.)

“Babies to grandmas can use them. Our products are good for the whole family—men, women, and children,” Shetler says. Some of the products have even been used on dogs to clear their eczema.

With their team of healthcare professionals and pharmacologists, C2 created a list called the “Dirty 30” (find it at c2caliclean.com). These are chemical ingredients commonly found in grooming and beauty products that can negatively affect metabolism and hormone levels. Some even contain known carcinogens that are toxic to the body.

It’s always good to know what is going inside and outside of your body, and for many men, that extends to your grooming habits. Taking care of yourself inside and out. Now, that’s clean.

SHUT TERSTOCK (ALL PREVIOUS SPREAD & MAN ABOVE)

SHEA MOISTURE JAMAICAN BLACK CASTOR OIL STRENGTHEN & RESTORE SHAMPOO “I love this shampoo. I have dry hair, and it’s great at getting my hair clean and moisturized. Plus, it has peppermint oil, which feels great on the scalp!” (sheamoisture.com, $12) —GERALD GARTH

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ENTREPRENEUR

NO APOLOGIES

Elijah McKinnon wants you to know a few things about anxiety, wellness, and visibility.

BRAD HALE

BY GERALD GARTH ELIJAH MCKINNON MAKES no apology. The San Francisco-born, Chicago-based multi-hyphenated trendsetter minces no words, cuts no corners, and gives no fucks. But McKinnon does care.

Committed to disrupting places that do not mindfully create space for the underrepresented, McKinnon (whose preferred pronouns are they and them) is a marketing producer and innovator who is just getting started.

“We are responsible for our own fantasy,” explains McKinnon, who is moved by self-accountability and the need for diversity. “We can’t give someone else our story and expect them to do it justice. If you don’t tell your own story, someone else will. And they will get it wrong. And that’s OK if that’s OK with you. But it’s not for me.”

McKinnon is founder and director of People Who Care, an independent consultancy specializing in campaign development and management for nonprofits and grassroots initiatives.

“I was working on a campaign and had to ask why I was the only person in the room who looked like me for a campaign created for people who looked like me,” McKinnon says of founding the now 3-year-old People Who Care (peoplewho.care). “And one response was, ‘Well, there are people who care involved in this project.’”

That was not the response McKinnon was looking for.

“I was like, ‘I’m sorry? Of course, there are people who care, but why are there not more people here that represent this project?’ I resigned a week later and started People Who Care to infiltrate these institutions. My goal was to position myself in front, not as a gatekeeper, but a buffer for the community I know doesn’t have an opportunity to say things like that to people.”

Representation continues to be one of McKinnon’s guiding principles.

One of the creators of PrEP4Love, a diversity campaign designed to show various images of love and passion, McKinnon’ also heads marketing and design for Open Television (weareo.tv), a nonprofit platform for intersectional TV series. One of OTV’s recent projects, Two Queens in a Kitchen (#2QiK), follows McKinnon, business partner Aymar Jean Christian, and other friends in a “safe space for OTV artists to talk about things that were important to them outside of their own artistry—all the things that go into making it happen.” The setting is perfect for reflecting the experiences of people of color. “The kitchen is a safe zone, a veritable sacred place. Food has always

been a major part of my life and growing up. We cooked a lot. We spilled the tea over the food. We called people out over the food. You got your punishment over the food. So, I was like, ‘What if we had this format that was really simple—a cooking show, only without cooking!’”

McKinnon laughs. “If we get people in the kitchen who are [personalities], that will carry the show.”

Two Queens has seen great success with tens of thousands of views.

Even still, McKinnon wants to expand in season three. “We really wanted to engage a specific Black audience. We decided to look at traditional topics that were born of the Great Migration. And I was really inspired by that—particularly by food.”

The latest season, Two Queens In a Kitchen: Southern Style, McKinnon says, “Focuses on food born out of traditional places of healing. It also looks at how women and queer people have been so integral to food culture. That’s something that’s not talked about.”

One can’t help but wonder what keeps McKinnon going. “I really am dedicated to see Black people thriving and whatever it takes to see them happy doing whatever it is they want to do. My motivation also comes from being in a position of privilege as a Black person who is educated, has access to institutional support, and has the ability to navigate different structures. And, the ability and agency to fight. I’m motivated by that power to do good. So when I have the opportunity to advocate, I’m like a pit bull.”

McKinnon admits they’re “getting smarter and able to critique myself, looking at how I can be more inclusive, more impactful through this work. I’m really over the mentality of this movement-based work and the mentality that you have to show up beaten, battered, and bruised to find a place in the work that you do.”

McKinnon is still very candid about personal experiences. “I’m super open about… being a Black queer person who’s suffered from debilitating anxiety from years of past trauma, on top of the daily trauma of watching people who look like me be murdered, on top of all the systemic occurrences that I, along with my community, have to deal with on a daily basis. It’s something that is not for the faint of heart.”

Embracing and reinforcing the need for self-care has been critical.

“Last year was one of the most difficult years of my life. My company had a tremendous amount of growth. I was super visible. I didn’t have a team in place for a long time. Then, when I was managing a team of people, I wasn’t managing myself. That was a red flag for me. I took a real vacation to South Africa, and for about two months, I was unavailable.

Coming back, I was so inspired. I came back with new energy.”

McKinnon not only finds importance in achieving balance, but also maintaining core values.

“I’m the most balanced I’ve been in my entire life. I know my limits and I don’t let anyone set those for me. I’m not interested in anyone telling me how fast I can go or how much I can carry. I have been assessing urgency. What is urgent? What’s not? I don’t feel the need to have to rush things just for the sake of rushing. There is power in urgency, so we should manage it well. Time is not linear. I can be doing all these things, and nothing, and still have the same impact.”

McKinnon wants us all to be inspired in our own work, too.

“I’m motivated by the worlds I’ve seen change. For me, it’s about going to a place that does not exist and [creating] that world. Once you allow someone else to create a narrative about you, if you’re not 100 percent sold on it, it will be a problem. You have to determine what you want to see for yourself. My mother used to always say, ‘I’m resolved’ at the most critical moments. For her that meant ‘My decision is made’—and I love that.”

Today, McKinnon has many irons in the fire and is still ready to stoke the coals. Another new project is Viral Elimination, an intersectional, intergenerational art party to help reframe the narrative around HIV through sharing personal experiences. Some events are already lined up in areas as divergent as Spain, Los Angeles, and Mississippi.

“We don’t need to reclaim space, but take space. I don’t want crumbs, I want a whole-ass meal, and so do my friends and my community.

That’s where I want my work to be rooted in. And if it’s not, it might be a challenge. But I’m okay with doing the work and taking the time to get to that. If the community is behind it and there is integrity and intentionality and funds to support, then I’m there.”

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New Balance for J.Crew 998 Mustard X Ketchup X Relish Sneakers

Don’t sleep on J. Crew as a brand of just preppy pastels and chinos. Its sneaker collaborations with ew alance, for e ample have spawned ni e creations with heritage alit This pair of s ede s is dressed in a condiment inspired colorwa of m stard, ketch p, and relish, which looks as appeti ing as it so nds , crew com

NO TRIPPIN’ TAKE SOME CHANCES WITH THESE FALL SNEAKER TRENDS.

BY THOMAS FREEMAN

You probably kept your shoe game clean and simple this summer, but fall is a chance to take on some bolder sneaker trends. Think chunky soles, unusual materials, and even daring colorways. Step into the trends, without tripping up, with the hottest sneaker drops of the season.

Adidas POD-S3.1 Shoes

J.CREW (NEW BAL ANCE); ADIDAS (POD)

Adidas created an alternative to its trendy Ultraboost with the POD-S3.1, a more futuristic and geometric-looking sneaker. It features a similar knit upper but deviates with its cushioning system, which has a Boost heel, a point of de ection aka bridge, and a high rebo nd forefoot for optimal stabilit and comfort , adidas com

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SNEA KER

ALERT

Champion Reverse Weave Green Rally Pro High-Top Sneakers

Stalwart athletics brand Champion is entering the red-hot sneaker market. One of its earliest successes is a high-top knit and mesh sneaker in “hiker green.” Given that there are no laces nor much construction of any sort on the knit upper, putting them on feels like slipping into your coziest pair of socks. ($125, champion.com)

Air Jordan III JTH

NIKE (AIR JORDON); CHAMPION (REVERSE WEAVE)

Justin Timberlake’s “man of the woods” makeover is the inspiration for this pair of Air Jordan IIIs, one of JT’s favorite sneakers. Tan suede is used in lieu of classic leather, lending it a more rough-hewn and artisanal look. Timberlake notably rocked the first iteration of the sneaker in white leather during his halftime performance at Super Bowl LII. ($200, nike.com)

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THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS HAVE ALWAYS GOTTEN IT RIGHT WHEN IT COMES TO DRAFTING NBA’S BIGGEST STARS. NOW HERE COMES LEBRON JAMES.

BY DONALD PADGETT

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GUSTAVO ZERMENO JR

THEY GOT GAME

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SPORTS would lead Los Angeles to victory in the NBA Finals. Their grand total for titles after joining the Lakers? Nine times. If history is any indicator of things to come, more titles are on the horizon for James in the famed purple and gold.

One previous LeBron James mural was vandalized repeatedly and later removed, but this masterpiece by Gustavo Zermeño Jr. has been heralded for showing Laker greats (including James). Zermeño started drawing at a very young age and began painting in high school. His art is in enced b os ngeles culture and often pays homage to the landscapes and people that help define the cit e recentl decided to invest more fully in his art, focusing on creating murals for the past few years.

The Los Angeles Lakers have a long history of signing the best players in the league from other teams, including this year’s LeBron James, who joins a long list of dominant players traded to or signed with the Lakers in the prime of their careers.

Each of these stars were coming off stellar seasons but dissatisfied with their current teams—Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem AbdulJabbar, Shaquille O’Neal. (Chamberlain and O’Neal were multiple winners of the league’s Most Valuable Player award with their former teams.) Furthermore, all of them

A HISTORY OF THE LAKERS AND DRAFTS This trend started in 1968 when Wilt Chamberlain demanded a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers. Chamberlain, a seven-foot tall beast on the court, was a four-time MVP, including three straight honors, and his achievement of 100 points in a single game is still an NBA record.

When Chamberlain was traded to the Lakers, he was averaging 24.3 points and an unheard of 23.8 rebounds per game. But he was a temperamental giant with a horrible free throw, who argued with coaches and played defense only when he felt like it. Chamberlain was surrounded by future Hall of Fame scorers like Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, and Gail Goodrich, yet he never fully bought into letting others be the primary scorers. When Lakers coach Bill Sharman finally convinced Chamberlain to concentrate less on offense and more on defense the team reeled off a still-standing record of 33 straight wins. The Lakers won the Finals that year (their first since moving to Los Angeles from Minneapolis in 1960).

The next transplant to the Lakers was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975. Arguably, Abdul-Jabbar remains the best basketball player of all time, certainly at the high school and college level. Under his given name of Lew Alcindor, he won multiple titles at Power Memorial High School in New York, then led the UCLA Bruins to three straight NCAA titles. (Fun fact: He was so dominant that the NCAA outlawed the slam dunk.)

Showing true greatness in response, Abdul-Jabbar created the most unstoppable shot in the history of the game: the skyhook. What’s more, the only reason he didn’t win an Olympic gold medal in 1968 was because he sat out the Games to protest racial injustice back home.

In his second season with the Milwaukee Bucks, Abdul-Jabbar teamed with future Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson to lead the team to his first of six NBA titles. Unhappy after the “Big O” retired, Abdul-Jabbar asked for a trade. He was a three-time MVP when he came to the Lakers and would go on to win three more, including back-to-back honors in his second and third years with the team.

When Magic Johnson arrived in 1979, he and Abdul-Jabbar led the Lakers to an astounding eight of the next 10 finals, winning five. The last two wins were consecutive, a feat that had not been accomplished since the Boston Celtics did it 20 years earlier. AbdulJabbar retired as the all-time leader in points, field goals, defensive rebounds, and blocked shots among others. His 1985, 1987, and 1988 championship teams are considered by many to be among the best, if not the best, of all time.

The last truly dominant player to come to the Lakers in his prime was Shaquille O’Neal. He arrived as a free agent in 1996, the same year Kobe Bryant was drafted. O’Neal was a monster on the floor, proving unstoppable within five to 10 feet of the rim, leaving defense bruised and battered. When Phil Jackson arrived as coach in 1999, O’Neal and an emerging Bryant completely owned the league for three straight titles—a run matched only by those same Celtics from four decades earlier and not repeated since.

O’Neal won a league MVP and three Finals MVP awards during his stay with the Lakers. Frustratingly for fans (and to the relief of opposing players), his tenure with the Lakers was cut short due to the inability of OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2018 CHILL

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SPORTS

5 TIMES THE L.A. LAKERS GOT IT RIGHT THE LAKERS BUILD CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS OUT OF PLAYERS OVERLOOKED BY OTHERS.

BY DONALD PADGETT

Bryant and him to co-exist. Bryant was famed for his maniacal quest to be the greatest basketball player of all time. For him, there was no off-season, and he never stopped training or improving his game. Bryant was, perhaps, the most driven athlete ever to play the game.

The same could not be said for O’Neal, who viewed his off-season as his own time. O’Neal believed he could play his way into shape during the regular season, which he did, but it drove Bryant crazy even so. Things came to a head during the 2004 season when the Lakers lost the Finals to the Detroit Pistons four games to one.

O’Neal asked for and was granted a trade. In 2017, the Lakers improved to 35 wins, which topped their low20s win average from previous years. But considering the 82 games they played, it was still a losing season.

Now here comes LeBron James. Having played in the Eastern Conference the entirety of his career, extending his streak of consecutive NBA Finals in the Western Conference might be difficult, if not impossible. Regardless of further changes to the roster or James’s style of play, expectations are still high. The L.A. Lakers are about one thing and one thing only: winning championships. A second-place finish is considered a losing season in La-La Land.

While management and fans may be willing to wait another year to contend for a title, major grumblings will follow if the team is not in the playoffs this season.

Laker greats—Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar, Bryant, and “Big Game” James Worthy—all remain connected to the team. Nothing will compare to having all those Hall of Famers and championship banners hanging overhead to remind James what is expected of him. But that’s also a reason he chose to sign to the Lakers—to be tested and challenged.

If LeBron James wins a championship for the greatest basketball franchise of the last 50 years, he might just be crowned the greatest basketball player of all time. No matter what happens, the Lakers and LeBron are set for an exciting four years. Let the show begin.

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1. NORM NIXON (1977) When people remember the early “Showtime” Laker teams, they usually think of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. However, Norm Nixon was a key contributor to their 1980 and 1982 championships, leading the team in scoring for the pla offs nitiall a point g ard, he nselfishl shared those duties when Johnson was drafted. A deadly shooter and distributor, he was eventually traded after six seasons to the Phoenix Suns for the draft rights to Byron Scott.

2. A.C. GREEN (1985) Every team needs a player in the trenches to do the dirty work of rebounding and setting hard picks, and A.C. Green embraced that role for the Lakers. A rugged and unrelenting player, Green deservedly earned the nickname “Iron Man” for his record of most consecutive games played at 1,192. Green missed a mere three games in the second of his 16 NBA seasons, and the streak ended only when he retired. He won back-to-back championships with the Lakers in 1987 and 1988, and ended his career winning another with the Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O’Neal team of 2000. Green led the Lakers in rebounding in six of his eight seasons with the team.

3. MICHAEL COOPER (1978) Perhaps the greatest compliment that can be paid to Michael Cooper is that Larry Bird pegged him as the toughest defender he ever faced, and they had plenty of faceoffs throughout the 1980s. A tenacious defender, Cooper also was one of the first pla ers to e ploit the three point shot e was alwa s a fan favorite in part to his high ing slam d nks off soaring passes from Magic Johnson, dubbed the “Coop-a-Loop” by legendary anno ncer Chick earn n addition to his five titles with the akers as a pla er, Cooper also won back-to-back championships as a coach in the WNBA and one in the NBA Development League. He still coaches in the three-on-three Big 3 League.

4. DEREK FISHER (1996) The 1996 draft was loaded with players like Kobe Bryant, Ray Allen, Marcus Camby, Allen Iverson, and Steve Nash. The hands-down steal of the year was Derek isher aired with r ant for most of his career, the two won five championships together. Considered undersized by many, he was usually still the toughest player on the court. He was known for his dogged defense, heady play, and clutch shooting with multiple game-winning shots in the playoffs and Finals. Perhaps most importantly for the Lakers, though, he was also one player Bryant always trusted and respected. His fellow players held the same opinion, choosing Fisher to head the National Basketball Players Association in 2006.

5. LUKE WALTON (2003) Perhaps best known as the current coach of the Lakers and former assistant coach of the Warriors, Luke Walton was also a championship player in his own right.

The son of legendary center Bill Walton, the younger Walton won two championships with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010. Always an intelligent player with a high basketball IQ, it often seemed as if the Lakers had three coaches on the court when he played alongside Kobe and Fisher.

As an interim coach for the Warriors in 2015, he led the team to a 39-4 start, including a record 24 straight wins to open the season. When head coach Steve Kerr accepted the NBA Coach of the Year Award at the end of the season, he had Walton sit next to him at the podium. Walton is currently the head coach of the Lakers and hopes to add more championships to his current total of three.

GERALD HERBERT/ AP PHOTO (JOHNSON); REED SAXON/ AP PHOTO (NIXON); ERIC RISBERG/ AP PHOTO (GREEN); MARK TERRILL / AP PHOTO (COOPER); /CHRIS CARLSON/ AP PHOTO (FISHER); JAE C. HONG/ AP PHOTO (WALTON)

Magic Johnson talks with LeBron James during a 2017 All-Star game. James, basketball’s biggest star, will now lead a young Lakers team run by Johnson, a Lakers Hall of Famer.

The recent dominance of the Golden State Warriors has shown the importance of using the draft to build a successful team. Finding and cultivating young players is key to managing payroll and building a deep unit that embraces the vision of coaches and management. Lottery picks are usually chosen for their immediate impact to losing teams, but sometimes the greatest value are players selected with lower picks.

The Los Angeles Lakers, for example, are perhaps the most storied franchise in the ne of the reasons is their abilit to find gems later in the draft While initially picked by Brooklyn, N.Y., and Salt Lake City, Utah, respectively, but then traded on draft night, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart are prime examples of the Lakers’s non-lottery drafting prowess. In no particular order, here are just a few of their previous success stories.

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