Hey everyone, it's Sophia, welcome back to Work in Progress.

Today's guest is a historian and an author, but she is most well known for the power and scope

of her activism. Blair Imani is a speaker and a writer working hard to uplift voices, stories,

and histories that have been systemically underrepresented or intentionally blocked.

Perhaps her best known push to end that is her viral video series, Smarter In Seconds,

and if shorts aren't your thing, her TEDx talk, queer and Muslim, Nothing to Rec and Style,

also reached viral status. Blair has been present on the frontlines of Black Lives Matter,

published two books and most recently her third that give historical context and credit to

the people are textbooks most often leave out. She's been profiled by The New York Times,

invited to speak all over the world, and has even been arrested for peacefully protesting

police violence in Louisiana. From stages to the frontlines, Blair shows up. She is an absolutely

admirable force for good and acceptance in the world, and I am so honored to have her on the

show today. Those of you who have heard of her or followed her work know what to treat this

episode will be, and for those of you who don't yet, well, I could not pick a better person to get

to introduce you to. Enjoy.

Well, Blair, I'm so excited to have you here today. I know that before we jumped into the interview,

we were just talking about how much fun it is when people who've shown up to support one another

and causes and who witness each other working in the world actually get to get off of Instagram

and chat for real. I'm just so excited that you're here.

I think for me, as my star has been rising, it's been really cool to be on the podcast that I'm

listening to often. It's so cool and weird also to be able to see you while also hearing your

voice, because I'm so used to just like this disembodied voice. It's a great combo.

...