"What does it mean to be Black and alive right now?"

Join authors Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham in conversation with NMAAHC curator Michelle ​Joan Wilkinson as they discuss their visions for the present and future and the way they see these visions captured ​by artists, activists, and thinkers. Their new book, Black Futures, poses a central pressing question, "What does it mean to be Black and alive right now?" The result is a collection of essays, photography, memes, visual art, tweets, poetry, and more, that place archive, technology, and Afrofuturist ideas in conversation. Kimberly and Jenna will also be joined by Alisha B. Wormsley, whose project, There Are Black People in the Future, is featured in the book.

This event is part of an ongoing series on the theme of Afrofuturism in partnership with the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Museum of African Art. For more from this programming, visitors can explore Sonic Futures, a discussion on Afrofuturism – where it came from, where it is going, and what it has to offer us.

Meet the Authors

Kimberly Drew is a writer, curator, and activist. Drew received her B.A. from Smith College in art history and African-American studies. During her time at Smith, she launched the Tumblr blog Black Contemporary Art, which has featured artwork by nearly 5,000 black artists. Drew's writing has appeared in Vanity Fair, Elle UK, and Glamour. She lives in Brooklyn, New York (just a few blocks away from Jenna Wortham).

Jenna Wortham is a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine. She is also co-host of the podcast Still Processing, as well as a sound healer, reiki practitioner, and herbalist, all of which she lovingly practices on Kimberly Drew. She is currently working on a book about the body and dissociation. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.