Race/Related: They Paid Off Their Debts. Now They Pay That Fluency Forward.

Influencers of color who taught themselves how to pay off debts and invest share their experience. [View in browser](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjjd2UP4QoAWh0dHBzOi8vbWVzc2FnaW5nLWN1c3RvbS1uZXdzbGV0dGVycy5ueXRpbWVzLmNvbS90ZW1wbGF0ZS9vYWt2Mj9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDIxMTIwNCZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD00Njk3OCZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZwcm9kdWN0Q29kZT1SUiZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NzYxMjcmdGU9MSZ1cmk9bnl0JTNBJTJGJTJGbmV3c2xldHRlciUyRmMyNTc5ZDNhLWY2OGQtNWE2ZC04OTI0LWVkY2ZhOWJkZjE0OCZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmGMlFirYQ5Pd4dSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~)|[nytimes.com](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjjd2UP0SwaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjExMjA0Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTQ2OTc4Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD03NjEyNyZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKYYyUWKthDk93h1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA)[Continue reading the main story](#a11y-skip-ad-marquee) ~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjjd2UP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MjA3NTgwJmxpPVJSJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1SUl8yMDIxMTIwNFcDbnl0QgphjJRYq2EOT3eHUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~ [More Race/Related](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjjd2UP0S-aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vc3BvdGxpZ2h0L3JhY2U_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMTEyMDQmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NDY5Nzgmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTc2MTI3JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgphjJRYq2EOT3eHUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) December 4, 2021 Jacent Wamala is a therapist and financial coach who logged her debt repayment process on Instagram. For immigrants and people of color, she said, often “there is trauma around money.”Joe Buglewicz for The New York Times Sharing Money Lessons to Build Generational Wealth By [Coral Murphy Marcos](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjjd2UP0TGaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vYnkvY29yYWwtbXVycGh5LW1hcmNvcz9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDIxMTIwNCZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD00Njk3OCZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NzYxMjcmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmGMlFirYQ5Pd4dSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) Reporter, Business Jacent Wamala’s family pushed her to follow what they saw as the American dream. After all, that was part of why they moved to the United States from Uganda — so she could go to college, get married, have children, succeed. She did all of those things. But after 26 years here, she had acquired something else: huge debt. “I got divorced and lost my father while I was in grad school,” Ms. Wamala said. “Because money wasn’t something we talked about heavily growing up, it was during that time that I accumulated the majority of my debt, which was student loans and credit cards.” Ms. Wamala decided to make a repayment plan, and she used her Instagram feed to keep herself accountable, logging her progress through posts and stories. Before she knew it, she had gained more than 15,000 followers, many of whom came from backgrounds like hers and had had similar experiences. Now a licensed therapist in Las Vegas who has paid off over $90,000 in debt, she motivates her followers to develop a good relationship with money. Ms. Wamala is especially eager to work with people of color and other first-generation immigrants, because in her view, the mind-set many people grew up with can be limiting. “There is trauma around money,” she said. Ms. Wamala, 31, is part of a wave of Black, Indigenous and people of color influencers who are using their hard-won financial know-how to help others from disadvantaged communities reach their money goals, advising them on how to achieve debt freedom, save for retirement and build generational wealth — whether they are middle class or aspiring to be. [Continue reading the main story](#a11y-skip-0) ADVERTISEMENT ~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjjd2UP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MTc0MTQ5JmxpPVJSJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1SUl8yMDIxMTIwNFcDbnl0QgphjJRYq2EOT3eHUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~ Personal finance podcasts, blogs, Instagram profiles and YouTube channels dedicated to people of color have proliferated over the past few years, making best-selling authors out of some and helping others develop clientele willing to pay for their advice. “We have seen this area of BIPOC content creators explode with the social media platform explosion,” said Jessica Bufkin, the chief executive of FinCon, a convention for personal finance content creators. On YouTube, uploads of videos with the terms “how I paid off,” “investment,” and “student loans,” grew more than 50 percent from 2018 to 2019, according to data from the video-sharing platform. Many of these influencers believe nontraditional ways of investing and earning income can help marginalized communities, which have endured generations of financial shocks. “There are ways to shift from that place of disadvantage to taking advantage of the possibilities in front of you,” Ms. Wamala said. According to [an analysis](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjjd2UP0T9aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3Rsb3Vpc2ZlZC5vcmcvb24tdGhlLWVjb25vbXkvMjAyMS9qYW51YXJ5L3dlYWx0aC1nYXBzLXdoaXRlLWJsYWNrLWhpc3BhbmljLWZhbWlsaWVzLTIwMTk_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMTEyMDQmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NDY5Nzgmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTc2MTI3JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgphjJRYq2EOT3eHUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Black and Hispanic families are less likely than white families to own assets like homes, businesses and investment accounts, and when they do, those assets typically have lower values than those of whites. [Continue reading the main story](#a11y-skip-1) ADVERTISEMENT ~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjjd2UP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MjA3NTc3JmxpPVJSJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1SUl8yMDIxMTIwNFcDbnl0QgphjJRYq2EOT3eHUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~ The analysis, of data gathered in 2019, found a particularly stark gap in the median net worth between white and Black families. The typical white family had about $184,000 in assets, while the typical Black family had $23,000. The Fed study cited some of the factors influencing Black families’ economic marginalization: the massive land grant under the Homestead Act of 1862 that went almost entirely to white Americans, and [redlining](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjjd2UP0T3aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAxNy8wOC8yNC91cHNob3QvaG93LXJlZGxpbmluZ3MtcmFjaXN0LWVmZmVjdHMtbGFzdGVkLWZvci1kZWNhZGVzLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMTEyMDQmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NDY5Nzgmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTc2MTI3JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgphjJRYq2EOT3eHUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~), which led to Black Americans being denied access to mortgages and homeownership — an important step in building wealth. Mandi Woodruff-Santos and Tiffany Aliche, co-hosts of the podcast “[Brown Ambition](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjjd2UP0S5aHR0cHM6Ly9icm93bmFtYml0aW9ucG9kY2FzdC5jb20vP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjExMjA0Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTQ2OTc4Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD03NjEyNyZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKYYyUWKthDk93h1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA),” decided they wanted to help women of color learn how to budget and get out of debt after the pair met at a conference for finance bloggers in 2014. Ms. Woodruff-Santos brought her experience as a personal finance editor, and Ms. Aliche brought hers as a teacher in Newark, and they have changed the content over the years as their followers’ questions have expanded. Mandi Woodruff-Santos and Tiffany Aliche.Brown Ambition “You don’t have to subscribe to the conventional way of working a 9 to 5 and collecting your Social Security and making that work — you can work beyond that,” Ms. Woodruff-Santos said. “It’s really building wealth that will outlast you, that will live beyond you for your children and for your children’s children.” [Continue reading the main story](#a11y-skip-2) ADVERTISEMENT ~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjjd2UP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9NzI4Njk5JmxpPVJSJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1SUl8yMDIxMTIwNFcDbnl0QgphjJRYq2EOT3eHUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~ The “Brown Ambition” audience is “looking at retirement in a nonconventional way,” said Ms. Aliche, who has been among the speakers at FinCon. “They want to either retire early or they want to build a life they don’t necessarily want to retire from.” In their podcast, Ms. Woodruff-Santos and Ms. Aliche preach the importance of having life insurance and opening brokerage accounts for children, among other strategies. Taking control over one’s finances to achieve freedom now, rather than at some far-off future time, is a key theme for many influencers. [Read the rest of the article [here](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjjd2UP0TwaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS8xMi8wMy9idXNpbmVzcy9wZXJzb25hbC1maW5hbmNlLWluZmx1ZW5jZXJzLXJldGlyZW1lbnQuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDIxMTIwNCZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD00Njk3OCZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NzYxMjcmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmGMlFirYQ5Pd4dSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~).] Times Talks Join The New York Times’s Jazmine Hughes for [a free virtual event](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjjd2UP0TmaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS8xMS8xNi9ueXJlZ2lvbi9uZXcteW9yay1jaXR5LWFydHMtcG9zdC1jb3ZpZC5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjExMjA0Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTQ2OTc4Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD03NjEyNyZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKYYyUWKthDk93h1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) on Thursday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. ET, as she welcomes special guests Laurie Anderson, Lynn Nottage and Sarah Schulman to explore the eternal reinvention of New York City, and how art and creativity often fuels these moments of rebirth. EDITORS’ PICKS We publish many articles that touch on race. Here are several you shouldn’t miss. [[Article Image] © Chuck Stewart Photography, LLC/Fireball Entertainment Group](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjjd2UP0TfaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS8xMi8wMy90LW1hZ2F6aW5lL2pvaG4tY29sdHJhbmUtY2h1cmNoLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMTEyMDQmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NDY5Nzgmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTc2MTI3JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgphjJRYq2EOT3eHUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) [histories and happenings The Canonization of Saint John Coltrane The intensity of the jazz legend’s music has always inspired passion, but in the 1960s, one group of devotees was so stirred they founded a church in his name. By M.H. Miller](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjjd2UP0TfaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS8xMi8wMy90LW1hZ2F6aW5lL2pvaG4tY29sdHJhbmUtY2h1cmNoLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMTEyMDQmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NDY5Nzgmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTc2MTI3JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgphjJRYq2EOT3eHUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) [[Article Image] Jared Soares for The New York Times](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjjd2UP0TyaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS8xMi8wMy9hcnRzL2Rlc2lnbi9qZXJyZWxsLWdpYmJzLWVsaWphaC1jdW1taW5ncy1wb3J0cmFpdC5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjExMjA0Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTQ2OTc4Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD03NjEyNyZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKYYyUWKthDk93h1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) [Painter of Elijah Cummings Portrait Finds It’s a Career-Changer The Baltimore artist Jerrell Gibbs was commissioned to paint Maryland’s late Representative. The official portrait will be installed at the U.S. Capitol. By Hilarie M. Sheets](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjjd2UP0TyaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS8xMi8wMy9hcnRzL2Rlc2lnbi9qZXJyZWxsLWdpYmJzLWVsaWphaC1jdW1taW5ncy1wb3J0cmFpdC5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjExMjA0Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTQ2OTc4Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD03NjEyNyZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKYYyUWKthDk93h1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) [[Article Image] Kristen Zeis for The New York Times](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjjd2UP0T5aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS8xMi8wMy90cmF2ZWwvb3lzdGVycy1tYXJ5bGFuZC12aXJnaW5pYS1hZnJpY2FuLWFtZXJpY2FuLWhpc3RvcnkuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDIxMTIwNCZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD00Njk3OCZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NzYxMjcmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmGMlFirYQ5Pd4dSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) [Going Deep Into Oyster Country From coastal Virginia to New York and New Orleans, a writer delves into the history and lore surrounding the shellfish, with a focus on the role African Americans have played over the years. By Myles Poydras](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjjd2UP0T5aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS8xMi8wMy90cmF2ZWwvb3lzdGVycy1tYXJ5bGFuZC12aXJnaW5pYS1hZnJpY2FuLWFtZXJpY2FuLWhpc3RvcnkuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDIxMTIwNCZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD00Njk3OCZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NzYxMjcmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmGMlFirYQ5Pd4dSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) [[Article Image] Tristan Fewings/BFC, viaGetty Images](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjjd2UP0TdaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS8xMi8wMi9zdHlsZS92aXJnaWwtYWJsb2gtbWVudG9yc2hpcC5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjExMjA0Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTQ2OTc4Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD03NjEyNyZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKYYyUWKthDk93h1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) [Oh, to Be Mentored by Virgil Abloh The designer made it his mission to foster the talents of young creators. By Anna P. Kambhampaty](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjjd2UP0TdaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS8xMi8wMi9zdHlsZS92aXJnaWwtYWJsb2gtbWVudG9yc2hpcC5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjExMjA0Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTQ2OTc4Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD03NjEyNyZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKYYyUWKthDk93h1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) [[Article Image] Rowben Lantion/BFA.com](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjjd2UP0TuaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS8xMi8wMi9zdHlsZS92aXJnaWwtYWJsb2gtdGV4dC1tZXNzYWdlcy1pbnN0YWdyYW0tZG1zLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMTEyMDQmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NDY5Nzgmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTc2MTI3JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgphjJRYq2EOT3eHUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) [Texts From Virgil After his death, Virgil Abloh’s friends and colleagues shared some of the kind, curious and relentlessly optimistic DMs the designer was known to send. “2021 is a picture for us all to urgently paint.” By Anna P. Kambhampaty, André Wheeler and Jessica Testa](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjjd2UP0TuaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS8xMi8wMi9zdHlsZS92aXJnaWwtYWJsb2gtdGV4dC1tZXNzYWdlcy1pbnN0YWdyYW0tZG1zLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMTEyMDQmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NDY5Nzgmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTc2MTI3JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgphjJRYq2EOT3eHUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) [[Article Image] Nina Westervelt for The New York Times](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRjjd2UP0ToaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS8xMi8wMi90aGVhdGVyL3Jvbi1jZXBoYXMtam9uZXMtYnJvYWR3YXktY2x5ZGVzLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMTEyMDQmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NDY5Nzgmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTc2MTI3JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgphjJRYq2EOT3eHUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) [Ron Cephas Jones Has Something to Prove Again The Emmy-winning “This Is Us” actor received a double-lung transplant after a secret battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. 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