“When I was younger, I always wanted to be a mermaid. I was obsessed with the idea of swimming in the ocean, befriending fish, and breathing underwater. However, it took over a decade to find a narrative with one that looked like me. The cycles only continued after. Fairies, vampires, knights, witches, heroes, villains. It seemed mainstream media was committed to omitting black people from any narrative where they didn’t suffer in some way. It became hard to watch some of my favorite genres when I realized our inclusion was only to drive their plots, support their characters, or fix their problems. It was rare to see our own. And it’s not that they’re not out there. They’re being chosen to be forgotten or ignored by the favored public. Since then, I’ve committed myself to collecting as many Afro-centered stories as possible to share for those who were like me.”

“Fantasy narratives allow us to explore our most imaginative selves. We are allowed to be free of pre-existing narratives or biases dragging us down. We are allowed to be flawed and interact with challenges outside of the day-to-day. I feel in most cases, for marginalized communities like our own, Fiction and Fantasy can serve as a brief respite to the day-to-day narratives pushed by the mainstream.”