A Loc Storie

ep 27: Producing Greatness

I am a fond believer in divine timing. I love a serendipitous moment where all the stars align and what may have felt like a delay was just a bit of re-rerouting, making the end goal even more worth it. For the final episode of Season Two it's a special honor to have my good sis, Nicole, in my home to discuss the transition I have born witness to over the past two years. From talking s**t about IG salons to gassing each others growth, she is the perfect person to reflect on the loc journey with a j in hand. The juxtaposition of us as two queer loc'd women smoking freely while in conversation is an important contrast the more serious subject matter we have also gathered here to discuss: her role in producing one of the first TV interviews with Brittany Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner. I'm grateful to Nicole for sharing and shedding light on the interview as well as allowing me to use this space to continue to elevate this issue. Black women are always going to show up for black women, and I am immensely proud to be apart of the nuanced community who will not stay silent.  More information on how you too can show up on WeAreBG.org [https://wearebg.org/]. #WeAreBG

ep 26: Dear 'Ugly Stage'...

As a Real Housewives of Atlanta die-hard, I LIVE for a good read. I takes talent to deliver a shady, truth-bearing drag of caliber to my queens Phaedra and Nene. But my new friend Justin, the self-proclaimed King of Reads, has proven worthy. On what should have been my Pride episode, I sit down with the King to detail his experience as a Black Voice on Youtube with over 180k followers, unabashedly wearing his blackness + queerness on his sleeve. Justin's hair colors are about his bold as his opinions as we dig into what it means be unapologetic in his storytelling on the platform, especially as an HIV-positive gay man.  Any conversation where I have to pause to laugh and let the word sink in is a good one, once again grateful to be at all intersections of our community <3.

ep 25: Divine by Design {Growin' Pains part three}

Alignment is truly at play for our seminal 25th episode. Today I welcome creative powerhouse Sade Mims to the show who is undoubtedly the future of fashion that feels good for the soul. As someone with a deep appreciation for a quality bag and a statement earring, it’s an honor to converse with the Brooklyn-based accessories designer who is moving through the first five months of her loc journey with complete and utter grace. I’m so grateful for her ability to reflect on her journey with intentionality and share in her tenacity to cultivate a similar ethos within her line and now studio. Oh the joys of being a bad, brilliant black woman! Brooklyn watch-out, Sade and her brand Edas [//lignment is truly at play for our seminal 25th episode. Today I welcome creative powerhouse Sade Mims to the show who is undoubtedly the future of fashion that feels good for the soul. As someone with a deep appreciation for fashion, it’s an honor to converse with the Brooklyn-based accessories designer who is moving through the first five months of her loc journey with complete and utter grace. I’m so grateful for her ability to reflect about her journey with intentionality and her drive cultivate a similar ethos with her line and now studio.] are nothing to sleep on.

ep 24: Pushin' Professionalism

I challenge you to close your eyes and visualize for a second an archetype of the quintessential professional woman: What does she have on? What does she smell like? Where is she headed, to court? An office maybe? A production set or doctor's office? Now tell me what her hair looks like? Most of us probably imagined a slick back ponytail, an expertly laid silk-press, a gel'd up bun...locs and natural styles rarely come to mind first because black women have been told for centuries that their natural state of being is uncouth. I'm especially grateful for this conversation with LaCrai, because it reminds me that those tides are changing. An Emmy-award winning producer and former on-air reporter for CBSN, LaCrai knows a thing or two about the importance of not only delivering the soundbite, but looking the part while doing it. Today we unpack what it means to redefine professionalism for ourselves and our industries as loc'd women of color in media. Her bravery in starting her transition at the height of a public-facing career is essential to creating the representation necessary to keep pushing the narrative. We're pushing the limits of professionalism, either get with it or get lost.

ep 23: Young, Gifted & Still Black {part two of a conversation about the black tattoo community}

In 2022 we are welcoming in the New Year by first finishing what we started in the old. Today with my friend Aaron we revisit the conversation around what it means to be a black tattoo artist redefining an entire generation of artwork that has completely excluded black faces. I had the honor of stumbling across his very first residency in Brooklyn in 2020 and finally experienced what it should feel like to be welcomed into the a tattoo shop: safe, seen, and actually aligned with the artwork + artist. The atmosphere black and brown tattoo artists create for their black and brown customers is viewed as a sacred exchange and makes it even more imperative that we protect and uplift these tattooers where we can. You can likely hear in my voice how honored and excited I am by his commitment to representation and authenticity in his craft –– I mean a skull and crossbones with a retwist, I die! To follow or learn more about the Atlanta-based artist visit is IG handle @aarondavistattoo and as always find more from us at @a.loc.storie.