Jameel Selected For New York Times "Up Next"
The road is long y’all! Gioncarlo Valentine shot these photos on September 18th for New York Times "Up Next", right after a long Greyhound ride from Chicago to New York. That’s 18-24 hours, stopping at every bus station in the Midwest, curling my 6’5 frame to fit into an uncomfortable sleeping position, and then BOOM, right to set for the Times. As I look back on the last few years that moment is so emblematic of how things happen, life comes at you fast, highs and lows in rapid succession. BUT, the photos turned out so beautifully, and the piece by Lovia Gyarkye was so lovely as well. AND it was on the same greyhound route, returning to Chicago that Mrs. Obama’s team first reached out! I’m so excited for what’s next on my journey, and to find ways to smooth out the bumps in the road for so many other talented, creative, beautiful black folks at Negritude. More info to come soon!!
-J
"Redefining Luxury: At the end of his sophomore year, Mr. Mohammed visited Japan, where the chief executive of a 'noted luxury retail conglomerate' told him that 'that the only true luxury brands in the world are either from Milan or Paris.' The comment infuriated Mr. Mohammed because it suggested that a black aesthetic could not be considered 'high fashion' and seemed to make definitive claims about an industry that was rapidly changing. 'it felt like an incredibly out-of-touch thing to say,' he said."
