The Big (Education) Apple

My trip to NYC for Books, Basslines, and the Beat of Justice

Yesterday was one of those rare days where every moment seemed to braid together into something bigger than itself.

I started the day high above New York City, on the observation deck of the Empire State Building. Looking out over the sprawling skyline, I was reminded how perspective changes everything. From up there, you see the whole: the jagged edges of the city softened into a unified view, the movements of millions of people below reframed as a living system. It made me think about the work we’re in—struggles that feel fragmented at ground level but are part of a much larger story of liberation. Plus, I had so much fun going to the observation deck of the Empire State Building rocking my Mariners hat and Cal Raleigh shirt — helping Cal thrust his trident higher than the Statue of Liberty I was looking out at…and It was nice to take the MVP debate to the belly of the beast!

From those heights, I traveled back down to the ground—literally and politically—at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. It was an honor to join Brian Jones and Bettina Love in conversation to celebrate Brian’s new book, Black History is for Everyone.

Together, we dug into the Haitian Revolution, the fears it sparked in America’s founding fathers, and the two great threads of the Black freedom struggle: one rooted in fighting for the U.S. to live up to its ideals, and another anchored in an internationalist vision that transcends Americanism altogether. In that room, freedom dreaming wasn’t abstract—it was alive, urgent, and shared.

The night before, I had the privilege of receiving the William Sloane Coffin, Jr. Peacemaker Award alongside Jamaal Bowman and two inspiring youth honorees. To stand on that stage, accept the award on behalf of my ancestors—enslaved in Mississippi, teachers who built Black schools in Louisiana—and speak out for Palestine alongside others who refused to be silent about the genocide in Gaza, was humbling and unforgettable. To have comrades like Brian Jones and Vincent Intondi there made the night even richer.

And then, from the ground level, I descended underground; one of my best friends, Dave Zirin, surprised me by showing up unannounced at the Schomburg and inviting me to a show at the Village Vanguard, one of the most legendary jazz clubs on earth. The Ethan Iverson Sextet was playing (with Sam Newsome on saxophone, Johnathan Finlayson on trumpet, Jacob Garchik on trombone, Peter Washington on bass, and Kush Abadey on drums). In that dark, intimate space, the music carried all the struggle, beauty, and improvisation of freedom itself. Each note a reminder that we fight, and dream, and love not only to survive but to create.

From the heights of the Empire State, to the ground of the Schomburg, to the underground of the Vanguard, my time in NYC has been a journey through perspective, struggle, and art. Each level offering a way to see more clearly what we’re up against—and what we’re fighting for.