The former high school English teacher worked at Epic before taking a leap and joining the YWEB training program. You’ll see her name more often in the next few months — she’s putting all that experience to good use this summer as Madison365’s technical and editorial intern, and assisting in our 365 Academy program.
Rank your top five MCs. Dylan, Dylan, Dylan, Dylan and Dylan.
Just Kidding!
I’m not really a diehard fan of any artist (in the sense that I will vibe with whatever they put out, no matter what). I love listening to entire projects, and feel a connection to artists who put out music that speaks to the ebbs and flows of my life at the time. One of my favorite albums is The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. It was the first album I ever bought (which solidifies that I have great taste in music.) It was a great coming of age anthem for me. I’m a Chicagoan, so Common’s “Be” and all of Lupe Fiasco’s mixtapes from the early/mid 2000s are in heavy rotation when I am driving or flying into the city, especially if I’ve been away for awhile. My friends tease me that I don’t listen to new music, but I’m a fan of Kendrick Lamar; “Keisha’s Song” on the mixtape “Section 80” gives me chills everytime I hear it; It reminds me of Tupac’s “Brenda’s Got a Baby.” Pac rounds out my list. My older brother, Artez, is a lifelong Tupac fan. I’ve been spitting flawless Pac lyrics since I was seven years old.
Which motivates you more: doubters or supporters? Supporters. I like to keep positive people and positive energy in my life. There are enough haters in the world. Why focus on them?
What does it mean to be black in Madison? Same thing that it means to be Black everywhere else in the United States. However, Madison is in a particularly precarious position as it masquerades as a liberal enclave, but we have some of the most dire outcomes in the country for health, education, and incarceration for Black people. I’d like to think our city has its heart in the right place, but we need to work on our execution. Authentic, diverse, actionable dialogue is a great starting point.
Madison is not all bad. I actually feel more comfortable here than in most places I’ve lived. I’ve met some of the most dynamic and brilliant Black folks in my life here. People who target their time and talent in service of their missions. I’ve lived and worked in Chicago, Washington D.C., Los Angeles and Miami; In larger cities, it can be difficult to find your niche and overcome some of those gatekeepers who want you to ‘wait your turn’ to get something done. In Madison, if you have an idea and a plan, there are resources to do it. There is also a network of people who will support you.
What three leaders in Madison under 50 have impressed you the most? Of course I have to show some love to Ja’Mel Ware and the team at Intellectual Ratchet! They are on the precipice of a socialution! Diverse young professionals in this city want to thrive in their careers and have a solid network of folks to vibe with and enjoy all that Madison has to offer. Intellectual Ratchet is creating that space in Madison.
Sabrina “Heymiss Progress” Madison was one of the first people I met when I moved here in 2014. It’s been impressive to watch her work, especially considering she is also not a Madison native. She brings such a broad swath of people together. She knows everyone! From the Conversation Mixtapes to the Black Women’s Leadership Conference, she puts so much #BlackGirlMagic in our city and I’m a fan of all of it.
Brandi Grayson and her work with the YGB Coalition, the YWCA, and as a social justice maven in general has really inspired me. I left a job at Epic at the beginning of the year to take a full-stack web development class at the YWCA. The class was three months, it was unpaid, and it was a totally new skill set for me. Brandi always encouraged me to push forward and she helped me regain my confidence. Her presence is so charismatic. She has the uncanny ability to captivate a crowd of hundreds of people and connect with you one-on-one. When I think of sociopolitical leaders in Madison, she is at the top of my list.
What’s the biggest stumbling block in Madison to turning the corner on our racial disparities? Race in Madison is the 500-pound gorilla in the room. Everyone knows the disparities exists, but folks tend to discuss it among friends and people who share their identity. I don’t think there are very many spaces in Madison for cross-cultural dialogue. It makes people uncomfortable to authentically discuss race and acknowledge how their position in this city may provide them with privilege. Even when I think about me (an Africana and Feminist Studies major, a former community organizer and educator, a writer) sometimes I get emotional talking about race. However, I realize how all of those aspects of my identity provide me with credibility, privilege, and voice, and I’d rather use my platform in service to to those who are marginalized and silenced, than worry about being uncomfortable. We won’t turn a corner on race until we get comfortable with being uncomfortable and commit to working through those feelings.
What are your top three priorities at this point in your life? I feel like your 20s are the time in your life to be selfish. One priority for me is figuring out the work I love to do. The work that feeds my soul and puts light in my spirit. I’m pretty confident that my passion is writing, but is it writing as a journalist, an educator, or some other capacity? After that, another priority is to order my steps in service of that passion. I plan to go to graduate school in the fall of 2017. It’s important to me to find a program that really fits what I want to do, has supportive professors, and at an institution that prioritize my values. I think both of those goals reflect my third priority, which is self care. As a woman, in general, and as a Black woman, in particular, I tend to put myself on the backburner for the sake of others. I want to enjoy this time in my life that I have to myself to focus on my spiritual, mental and physical well-being. It’s incredibly difficult to be a light for someone else when there is a haze around your spirit.
Who is your favorite professional sports team in Wisconsin? The Chicago Bears when they play the Packers at Lambeau. I went to Walter Payton High School, so an endorsement of a Wisconsin team is treason. It’s my duty to keep the rivalry fresh.
If you could interview any three people in the world right now who would they be and why? Definitely Michelle Obama. I’ve been in awe of her since President Obama was the junior senator from Illinois. It’s so powerful to have an example of excellence that you can point to and say, “She was a kid from the southside of Chicago, just like me.” I’m curious about what she plans to do after she leaves the White House (especially since her daughters are about ready to leave the nest) and about what aspects of her childhood influence her activist work.
I’d want to interview Shonda Rhymes about how it feels to be the most powerful woman in media. When you have the influence to make ABC think, ‘Should we broadcast the actual President deliver an address to the actual nation or should we air a fictional President’s torrid affair with his mistress?’ and they go with the latter! Shonda slays all day.
I’d also love to talk to Blac Chyna about how she orchestrated one of the greatest clapbacks in history!
What are the three things you hope millennials do better than Babyboomers? I hope millennials continue to innovate the economic structure so that it values people’s unique gifts and talents. I think folks should be able to do what they love and sustain themselves and their families. I love being a creative, and I want to pursue my craft full time without going hungry!
I also hope millennials continue to break down the barriers between people so our world is more inclusive for future generations. I would love for my kids to truly live in Dr. King’s dream where they are judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin.
I want us to pay more respect to the planet and realize how our lifestyle has a rippling impact. We live in a society built on convenience. It would be great to see us pull back on that a little bit in favor of doing what is right, versus what is easy. Recycle. Ride your bike to work every once in awhile. Give back. It doesn’t take that much.
Team Beyonce or Team Becky? My Tinder profile says I’m an “avid Lemonade drinker,” so you know I’m team Bey! “Lemonade” is still on repeat. The entire project (from the album to the film) was beautifully intentional. Can we consider Beyonce an MC? If so, add Lemonade to my list too! That album came right on time for me. Especially reflecting changes in an intimate partner relationship, parental influences, forgiveness, and emotional maturity and growth. Lemonade runs parallel to this point in my journey.
Give us one word that explains who you are? Adaptive. I’ll make the situation work for me, despite the circumstances. I’m the eternal optimist.
What’s your nickname? None of my nicknames are appropriate! Some close friends and family call me Ambi. Some people call me by my middle name, Camille…but I prefer Amber.
