‘Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What Is Human in a World of Machines’ by Joy Buolamwini
AI is all that anyone can talk about, but no one is really saying anything. Enter Joy Buolamwini, author of Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What Is Human in a World of Machines. As a graduate student at MIT's Media Lab, Buolamwini was doing work on facial...
Celebrating Autumn Durald Arkapaw’s Historic Oscar Win and Ryan Coogler’s Vision of an Inclusive Hollywood
Thank you for being a subscriber to the DIASPORA newsletter! Help support our work and independent journalism by contributing to our GoFundMe as we build our nonprofit era. If you want to have full, EXCLUSIVE access to articles like this and more thoughtful,...
“Panic at the Disco” Part III: Exploiting v. Empowering Representation and Narrative Ownership
“Panic at the Disco” is an essay series that unpacks the impact of the Center Theatre Group’s new production of Here Lies Love. The critical journey will explore the complexities of artistic depictions of traumatic events and cultural figures in history and how it...
DIASPORA Calendar: April 6 – April 12, 2026
FILM Daughters of the Dust at Vidiots– 7:30 PM, April 7: Join Vidiots for Julie Dash’s rapturous masterpiece, Daughters of the Dust. As the 20th century dawns, a multi-generational Gullah...
Zendaya and Robert Pattinson Are ‘The Drama’: Kristoffer Borgli’s Chaotic-Neutral Dark Dramedy Lives Up To Its Name
Thank you for being a subscriber to the DIASPORA newsletter! Help support our work and independent journalism by contributing to our GoFundMe as we build our nonprofit era. If you want to...
EVENTS
DIASPORA Calendar: March 30 – April 5, 2026
FILM Wattstax – 7:30 PM, April 2: One of the most electrifying music documentaries ever, the eternally funky Wattstax is part concert-film and part powerful document of the historic Watts neighborhood of 50 years ago. Known as “The Black Woodstock” Wattstax was held...
DIASPORA Calendar: March 23 – March 29, 2026
THEATRE Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater – March 25-29: A powerhouse of artistic excellence, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater carries forward a legacy of African American strength, resilience and joy through the power of movement. Founded in 1958 by Alvin Ailey,...
DIASPORA Calendar: March 16 – March 22, 2026
THEATRE Kim’s Convenience By Ins Choi – March 21 - April 19: Soulpepper Theatre Company & Adam Blanshay Productions in association with American Conservatory Theater brings the award-winning comedy drama to the Ahmanson Theater. The play, which inspired the...
DIASPORA Calendar: March 9 – March 15, 2026
FILM Cult Classics Cinema presents B.A.P.S. - 6 PM, March 14: Experience an unforgettable night at Cult Classics Cinema, hosted and curated by DJ Rosegawd. This edition features the classic film, B.A.P.S (an acronym for Black American Princesses) is a 1997 American...
COMMENTARY
Zendaya and Robert Pattinson Are ‘The Drama’: Kristoffer Borgli’s Chaotic-Neutral Dark Dramedy Lives Up To Its Name
Thank you for being a subscriber to the DIASPORA newsletter! Help support our work and independent journalism by contributing to our GoFundMe as we build our nonprofit era. If you want to support...
Celebrating Autumn Durald Arkapaw’s Historic Oscar Win and Ryan Coogler’s Vision of an Inclusive Hollywood
Thank you for being a subscriber to the DIASPORA newsletter! Help support our work and independent journalism by contributing to our GoFundMe as we build our nonprofit era. If you want to have full,...
DOSSIER
LEGEND: Kiki Shepard
I remember watching Showtime at the Apollo late at night when I was growing up, and every time I watched, the host, which would be a revolving roster (including Sinbad, Mark Curry, Ricky Aviles,...
LEGEND: Sally-Tom
There is a limited amount of information that we know about Sally-Tom, a trailblazing Black trans woman who was born in 1839, who is one of the first – if not the first – trans person in the history...
THE DIASPORA LIBRARY
‘Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What Is Human in a World of Machines’ by Joy Buolamwini
AI is all that anyone can talk about, but no one is really saying anything. Enter Joy Buolamwini, author of Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What Is Human in a World of Machines. As a graduate...
‘A Tiny Upward Shove’ by Melissa Chadburn
I am more of a non-fiction reader, but once in a while I will read a novel that just sticks to my soul. Melissa Chadburn's A Tiny Upward Shove not only sticks to my ribs but haunts me with its...