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[VIDEO] My TEDx Talk “Don’t try to fit in: make the world embrace who you are”
Last month, I had the pleasure to be invited to take part of Tedx UBIWilz. Here are the thoughts I shared with the audience: How do you deal with the fact of not fitting to the norm? When you’re black and live in a world designed for men and white people? When you don’t look French enough although you feel every inch Parisian? How do you make the world acknowledge who you are? THE VIDEO IS BELOW
I was at Nate Parker’s sensational Stanford event
“This film isn’t about endurance, or resilience. This film is about resistance.” Those are the words Nate Parker used to describe his film The Birth of a Nation, winner of both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at Sundance. During a stopover in Palo Alto, I took a side trip to Stanford where the African and African American Studies Department was hosting its annual St. Clair Drake Memorial Lecture. The guest speaker was Nate Parker, first seen a few years ago with Denzel Washington in The Great Debaters. He came to screen his first full-length film and present his…
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT IN “SELFIE MODE” FOR BET
It’s official. I’m exporting myself across the Atlantic for BET BUZZ, the daily magazine show I host with RAPHAL and HEDIA. Now no one will miss any breaking news from the States! As your network correspondent in the US, I’ll keep you posted on goings-on in the heart of African American culture and will bring you exclusives on the biggest events through reports from New York, interviews and conferences, like for example, the one I took part in at the iconic Apollo Theater in Harlem. I’ll also take you inside the BET Studios in Washington and backstage at the network’s…
Panel at the Apollo Theater / WNYC’s MLK Event : Race and Privilege: Exploring MLK’s Two Americas
On Sunday January 17, MLK DAY, I was invited by WYNC (New York Public radio) to participate in an intense panel discussion about the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the iconic Apollo Theater in Harlem. Dr Eddie Glaude, Jr, , Ph.D. – Author and Chair of Princeton University’s African-American Studies Department and Taylor Branch – Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, author and historian best known for his award-wining trilogy of books chronicling the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement, were among the panelists. AT the standing room only event, our moderator, Brian Lehrer, asked each…
Afro! My new book: making the cover
For the past few months, you have been able to follow a Tumblr describing the development of a project initially called Mon Pari(s) Afro, authored by me with photography by Brigitte Sombié. Our idea was to publish 100 photos of Parisians, whether residents or visitors, of various origins, who have all chosen to wear their hair natural. The final title is Afro! and Editions Arenes is launching it on November 4. We were undecided about the cover photo but my editor came up with the idea to have Brigitte photograph me and use my head shot as the cover. Taking…
Ferguson, a year after the death of Michael Brown
I arrived in the US a few days ago, in St. Louis, MO. I met up with my activists friends to participate in the commemoration of the first anniversary of Michael Brown’s death in the suburbs of Ferguson August 9, 2014. That day, the face of the unarmed African American teenager, killed at the hands of a white policeman became the symbol of the struggle against police violence. A year later, Sunday August 9, activists from around the country came together to remind the world of the banal cruelty of the loss of hundreds of Black lives, snatched with impunity…
[VIDEO] Launch of the graphic novel “Pari(s) d’Amies”
Paris d’Amie(s), the first graphic novel written by Rokhaya Diallo and illustrated by its co-author, Kim Consigny is an urban comedy reflecting the colors of today’s Paris. It was published on April 8th of this year. The launch party brought together Lilian Thuram, Zinedine Souaem, Inna Modja, Imany, Françoise-Marie Santucci and Katell Pouliquen from Elle, Kery James, Juliette Fiévet, Sebastien Abdelhamid, Aya Cissoko, Aïssa Maïga, Fatou Ndiaye from BlackBeautyBag, Awa Ly, Raphal Yem, Princess Esther Kamatari, Chrystèle Saint-Louis-Augustin, Kareen Guiock, Eriq Ebouaney, Lucien Jean Baptiste and Anasthasie Tudieshe among many others! Black Spoon catered the affair. Big thanks to Phyto…
Welcome to Rokmyworld!
I’m excited to welcome you to my blog – I hope you will make it your own. Since you are reading these lines, I know that you know who I am – a committed journalist and author, especially passionate about equality. Until now I have expressed myself on TV, on the radio, through my books and documentaries and even most recently in my graphic novel, “Pari(s) d’amies.” I want, first of all, to thank you for supporting me throughout the years – time flies, right? With RokMyworld I have something a little different for you. Interacting with you on social media made me realize that some of your questions have gone unanswered. I get…