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Photo by Eli Hiller
Prince Shakur is a queer, Jamaican-American author, journalist, videomaker, and recognized by NY Times. He has written op-eds in Teen Vogue, features on the impacts of policing, and cultural essays exploring black icons like Bob Marley and Huey Newton. In 2017, his video series "Two Woke Minds" won the Rising Star Grant from GLAAD. As an organizer, he brought Black Lives Matter to his university campus, supported the migrant caravan, and served as a lead organizer with the Black Queer and Intersectional Collective in Columbus, OH. Prince also co-wrote, produced, and acted in an upcoming short film about two childhood friends facing their past before a significant event.
His work, whether literary, visual, or grassroots, is stepped in his commitment to black liberation, prison abolition, and queer resilience.
His debut memoir, WHEN THEY TELL YOU TO BE GOOD, charts his political coming of age, and has been hailed as a “ scorching, nonlinear journey through a Black man’s search for self” by Kirkus Reviews.
Click here to read his CV, check out his Linkedin, or learn more about his activism.
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ABOUT
Prince Shakur is an extraordinary and trailblazing artist, organizer, and educator who uses multiple mediums to express his radical ideas. With a steadfast focus on amplifying black histories through a lens that encapsulates the intersections of queerness, blackness, and liberation, Shakur's work is a testament to his commitment to advocating for social change.
Shakur's incisive journalism and essays have graced the pages of publications such as Teen Vogue, AfroPunk, The Cut, and more. Through his writing, he explores the systemic and personal impacts of the carceral system, urging society to confront harsh realities. His work demands that we acknowledge the complex truths surrounding black political and creative icons, shedding light on their often-overlooked contributions.
Shakur's artistic expressions are not limited to one form as he invites viewers to engage with his ideas through two YouTube channels. His travel and documentary series, "Two Woke Minds," has gained acclaim for taking audiences on captivating journeys and promoting curiosity and understanding of diverse cultures and experiences., On another channel, he showcases his life as a debut author and debunks assumptions about black authors and travelers.
His work embodies a dedication to social justice and creative expression. With his commitment to queer resilience and reshaping narratives, he continues to empower individuals and deepen our collective understanding of black history and identity. Through his art, organization, and education, Shakur has cemented himself as a force for positive change in our world.
As an organizer, he brought racial justice issues to Ohio University as a student organizer and writer. While in Seattle, he defended worker rights as a boycott organizer and then worked as a bank teller at Compass Housing Alliance for people without housing. Since then, he has participated in numerous environmental actions/movements, including Standing Rock; organized cultural events, protests, and abolition trainings as a lead organizer with Black Queer and Intersectional Collective; raised funds to support migrant caravans support efforts at the US/Mexican border; and organized against fascism through art and political action.
His debut memoir, When They Tell You To Be Good, is a daring, non-linear dive into Shakur’s childhood as queer, closeted kid with an immigrant family from Jamaica and his coming of age towards queer masculinity, desire, resilience as an anarchist/writer in the footsteps of Baldwin, and traveler. Whether backpacking through the Philippines, participating in Nuit Debout in Paris, or mopping floors in Montana, the central question of his mortality in an anti-black world follows him, as well as the shadow of his biological father’s murder. By engaging with diasporic masculinity, structural violence, afro-surrealism, and queer resilience, When They Tell You To Be Good crosses the boundaries of what safe writing is to find deeper truths about blackness, escapism, personal history, and love.
As a writer, his work has been recognized by Society for Features Journalism and the Hurston Wright Foundation. He has been an artist in residence with Sangam House, Twelve Arts, Pages Program, Studios of Key West, Norton Island, Atlantic Center for the Arts, and La Maison Baldwin. He has been an English professor at Lehman College and a workshop instructor for Lambda Literary’s LGBTQ Writers in Schools Program; his approach always centering radical approaches to craft and literature analysis. He has written, co-produced, and directed a forthcoming short film about two childhood friends the night before a life-altering event.
He is the founder of Millennial Writer Life newsletter , an Authortuber, and host of The Creative Hour Podcast.
AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Professional Achievements:
2015:Received University Campus Ministry's Social Justice Award.
2017: Granted Rising Star Digital Innovator Grant by GLAAD.
2018: Recognized with the Leadership Prize from Juvenile Law Center.
2019: Embarked on a fruitful journey as a Diversity Fellow and Grant Recipient for Vision for Ohio. Also served as a Diversity Fellow for the Society for Features Journalism. Acknowledged as a Writer in Residence at Sangam House.
2020: Featured as an Artist in "Nocturne" for the Columbus Museum Of Art's AFTER STONEWALL Exhibit. Granted the Writing Workshop Grant by TalkPoverty. Served as a Residency Fellow for Les Amis De La Maison Baldwin. Acted as a Writer in Residence for PAGES and Studios of Key West. Honored as an AARP Freelance Fellow by The Association of LGBTQ Journalists. Also served as a Writer for In Our DNA.
2021: Recipient of a Conference Scholarship from AWP. Attended Under The Volcano. Served as a Writer in Residence at the Atlantic Center for the Arts. Recognized as a Writer in Residence at Norton Island Artist Residency. Awarded the Crossover Award by the Hurston/Wright Foundation.
2022: Contributed as a Writer/Contributor to Beautiful Experiments. Continued to serve as a Writer for In Our DNA. Appointed as a Fellow for Substack Go. Served as a Writer in Residence at La Maison Baldwin.
2023: Taught at Lehman College. Collaborated with Lambda Literary for LGBTQIA Writers in Schools. Headline Author with the Columbus Book Festival. Lead a Writers’ Week workshop with Hurston/Wright Foundation. Shot a forthcoming short film.