4/12/17 O&A NYC EVENT: Brooklyn Museum Honors Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz

By Walter Rutledge and Adewale Adekanbi

On Monday April 3rd the Brooklyn Museum held its annual Brooklyn Artists Ball. The event celebrates Brooklyn’s creative community and supports the institution’s many year-round programs; and is also the largest annual fundraising gala at the Brooklyn Museum. This year’s event honored singer/songwriters and husband and wife Alicia Keys and Kasseem “Swizz Beatz” Dean. Continue reading

8/24/15 O&A Inspirational Tuesday: Janet Mock

Inspirational-Tuesday

JM19-Redefining Realness

Janet Mock is a writer, transgender rights activist, author and the former staff editor of People magazine’s website.  She underwent sex reassignment surgery in Thailand at age 18 in the middle of her first year in college. She came out publicly as a trans woman in a 2011 Marie Claire article, but took issue with how the author misgendered her by stating she was born and raised as a boy. Mock lives in New York City with her fiancé, photographer Aaron Tredwell. Continue reading