Race/Related: Africa calling

The continent, with the youngest population in the world, is increasingly influencing global culture. We looked at 12 people leading the way. [View in browser](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnYBayP4Q2AWh0dHBzOi8vbWVzc2FnaW5nLWN1c3RvbS1uZXdzbGV0dGVycy5ueXRpbWVzLmNvbS9keW5hbWljL3JlbmRlcj9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDIzMTIxNiZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMTAyNjQmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcGFpZF9yZWdpPTImcHJvZHVjdENvZGU9UlImcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE1Mjc2NyZ0ZT0xJnVyaT1ueXQlM0ElMkYlMkZuZXdzbGV0dGVyJTJGZTY3OWIzNTQtMTMzOS01MDAwLWFhOWQtMGNjOWFlYjg2NTI1JnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKZXuykX1lUKdLPlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD)|[nytimes.com](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnYBayP0SyaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjMxMjE2Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTExMDI2NCZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTUyNzY3JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0Qgple7KRfWVQp0s-Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~)[Continue reading the main story](#) [Ad](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnYBayP0SZaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MjA3NTgwJmxpPVJSJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1SUl8yMDIzMTIxNiZ0ZT0xJm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjMxMjE2VwNueXRCCmV7spF9ZVCnSz5SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~) [Race/Related](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnYBayP0TAaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vc3BvdGxpZ2h0L3JhY2U_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMzEyMTYmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTEwMjY0Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNTI3NjcmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmV7spF9ZVCnSz5SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~) December 16, 2023 [Young people taking photos and using their phones as flashlights at an Afrobeats concert in Lagos, Nigeria.] Young attendees at an Afrobeats concert in Lagos, Nigeria. With a median age of 19, Africa is the world’s youngest continent. Hannah Reyes Morales for The New York Times A ‘Youthquake’ in Africa [Author Headshot](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnYBayP0TGaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vYnkvdmVyb25pY2EtY2hhbWJlcnM_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMzEyMTYmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTEwMjY0Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNTI3NjcmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmV7spF9ZVCnSz5SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~) By [Veronica Chambers](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnYBayP0TGaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vYnkvdmVyb25pY2EtY2hhbWJlcnM_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMzEyMTYmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTEwMjY0Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNTI3NjcmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmV7spF9ZVCnSz5SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~) Lead Editor, Projects and Collaborations A little over a year ago, a group of New York Times journalists met in Nairobi, Kenya, to talk about story ideas for the coming year. Laurie Goodstein, deputy editor of International and editor for the Africa region for The Times, led the charge. In attendance were many of the correspondents who cover the continent: Declan Walsh, Abdi Latif Dahir, John Eligon, Ruth Maclean, Elian Peltier and Lynsey Chutel. One of the most exciting conversations revolved around a question that Declan had been noodling over for months: What does it mean for Africa, where the median age is 19, to be the youngest continent on the planet? The result of that conversation was the start of what became our new series this fall called [Old World, Young Africa](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnYBayP0TPaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vc2VyaWVzL29sZC13b3JsZC15b3VuZy1hZnJpY2E_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMzEyMTYmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTEwMjY0Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNTI3NjcmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmV7spF9ZVCnSz5SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~). As Declan writes in [the opening piece in the series](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnYBayP0TyaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vaW50ZXJhY3RpdmUvMjAyMy8xMC8yOC93b3JsZC9hZnJpY2EvYWZyaWNhLXlvdXRoLXBvcHVsYXRpb24uaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDIzMTIxNiZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMTAyNjQmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE1Mjc2NyZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKZXuykX1lUKdLPlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD): “As the world grays, Africa blooms with youth. By 2050, one in four people on the planet will be African, a seismic change that’s already starting to register. You can hear it in the music the world listens to. You can see it in movies, fashion and politics. You can sense it in the entrepreneurial drive of young Africans, and the urgent scramble for jobs. You can see it in the waves of youth who risk all to migrate, and in the dilemmas of those who remain.” As the editor of the Projects and Collaborations team at The Times, I returned from that week in Nairobi buzzing with ideas and eager to get started. Our team decided to focus on how, through the vast African diaspora, the world was increasingly becoming, culturally, more African. Our guiding question: How is what one scholar calls the “youthquake” in Africa shaking and shaping creativity abroad? We started with dozens of names, anyone who turned to Africa as a touchstone in their work. We knew we wanted to include visual artists and craftspeople, chefs, musicians and writers. In the end, we photographed and interviewed 12 extraordinary people, across four continents. The piece involved a huge team of Times editors and reporters, including [Abdi](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnYBayP0TFaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vYnkvYWJkaS1sYXRpZi1kYWhpcj9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDIzMTIxNiZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMTAyNjQmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE1Mjc2NyZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKZXuykX1lUKdLPlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD), [Lynsey](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnYBayP0TCaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vYnkvbHluc2V5LWNodXRlbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDIzMTIxNiZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMTAyNjQmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE1Mjc2NyZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKZXuykX1lUKdLPlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD) and [Elizabeth Paton](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnYBayP0TEaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vYnkvZWxpemFiZXRoLXBhdG9uP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjMxMjE2Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTExMDI2NCZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTUyNzY3JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0Qgple7KRfWVQp0s-Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~), who reported from Nairobi, Johannesburg and London. [On the left, Omar Victor Diop sits on a chair in a white shirt and black pants. On the right, he poses for a portrait wearing a floral bow-tie and vest and standing against matching wallpaper.] Omar Victor Diop, a Senegalese photographer and artist, poses in Paris, left, and in a self-portrait meant to evoke the memory of Frederick Douglass. Cedrine Scheidig for The New York Times, left; Omar Victor Diop. [In the piece](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnYBayP0T-aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vaW50ZXJhY3RpdmUvMjAyMy8xMS8xNi93b3JsZC9hZnJpY2EvYWZyaWNhbi1hcnRpc3RzLXJ1dGgtY2FydGVyLW1yLWVhemkuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDIzMTIxNiZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMTAyNjQmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE1Mjc2NyZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKZXuykX1lUKdLPlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD), you’ll hear from Mr Eazi, the Afrobeats superstar; Ruth E. Carter, a two-time Oscar-winning costume designer; Omar Victor Diop, a photographer; Nnedi Okorafor, a science fiction writer; Mory Sacko, a chef; Grace Wales Bonner, a fashion designer; Adamma and Adanne Ebo, two filmmakers; Lesley Lokko, an architect; Toheeb Jimoh, an actor; Zhong Feifei, a singer and model; and Nkuli Mlangeni-Berg, a textile artist. The Kenyan scholar Keguro Macharia once wrote: “Sometimes the Black diaspora calls and Africa responds. Sometimes Africa calls and the Black diaspora responds. Most times we exist in the tangled frequencies of calls and responses, as we pursue freedom.” [Continue reading the main story](#a11y-skip-universal-0) ADVERTISEMENT [Ad](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnYBayP0SZaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MTc0MTQ5JmxpPVJSJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1SUl8yMDIzMTIxNiZ0ZT0xJm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjMxMjE2VwNueXRCCmV7spF9ZVCnSz5SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~) Our piece, a treasure trove of voices, ideas and perspectives, is exactly as Macharia describes, a series of calls and responses, all of which point toward a deeper understanding and appreciation of what Africa has to offer the world. One more thing: If there are countries in Africa — or anywhere else in the world — that you want to keep up with, you can sign up for our new Times newsletter, [Your Places: Global Update.](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnYBayP0TLaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20veW91ci1wbGFjZXMtZ2xvYmFsLXVwZGF0ZT9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDIzMTIxNiZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMTAyNjQmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE1Mjc2NyZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKZXuykX1lUKdLPlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD) EDITORS’ PICKS We publish many articles that touch on race. Here are several you shouldn’t miss. [[A standup comedian in a blue suit and red cap performs alone on a stage under colorful lights.] Arlette Bashizi for The New York Times](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnYBayP0TlaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMy8xMi8xMi93b3JsZC9hZnJpY2EvYWZyaWNhLWZyZW5jaC1sYW5ndWFnZS5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjMxMjE2Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTExMDI2NCZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTUyNzY3JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0Qgple7KRfWVQp0s-Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) [How Africans Are Changing French — One Joke, Rap and Book at a Time More than 60 percent of French speakers now live in Africa. Despite growing resentment at France, Africans are contributing to the evolution and spread of the French language. By Elian Peltier, Arlette Bashizi and Hannah Reyes Morales](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnYBayP0TlaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMy8xMi8xMi93b3JsZC9hZnJpY2EvYWZyaWNhLWZyZW5jaC1sYW5ndWFnZS5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjMxMjE2Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTExMDI2NCZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTUyNzY3JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0Qgple7KRfWVQp0s-Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) [[A man in a suit, leaning against a doorway with his arms folded, looks at the camera in a black-and-white image. ] Chris Haston/NBC](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnYBayP0TqaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMy8xMi8xMy9hcnRzL3RlbGV2aXNpb24vYW5kcmUtYnJhdWdoZXItYXBwcmFpc2FsLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMzEyMTYmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTEwMjY0Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNTI3NjcmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmV7spF9ZVCnSz5SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~) [An Appraisal Andre Braugher Let You Hear Him Think The resonant-voiced actor, skilled at cerebral roles, had a gift for conveying authority and for subverting it. By James Poniewozik](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnYBayP0TqaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMy8xMi8xMy9hcnRzL3RlbGV2aXNpb24vYW5kcmUtYnJhdWdoZXItYXBwcmFpc2FsLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMzEyMTYmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTEwMjY0Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNTI3NjcmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmV7spF9ZVCnSz5SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~) [[Shakima Tozay stands with eyes downcast in front of a tree outside, holding a framed photo of her stillborn baby, Jaxson.] Chona Kasinger for The New York Times](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnYBayP0TiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMy8xMi8xMi9oZWFsdGgvcHJlZ25hbnQtYmxhY2std29tZW4tYmlhcy5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjMxMjE2Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTExMDI2NCZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTUyNzY3JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0Qgple7KRfWVQp0s-Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) [How Unconscious Bias in Health Care Puts Pregnant Black Women at Higher Risk Many Black women report feeling ignored or dismissed by doctors. The consequences can be deadly for mothers and babies. By Roni Caryn Rabin](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnYBayP0TiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMy8xMi8xMi9oZWFsdGgvcHJlZ25hbnQtYmxhY2std29tZW4tYmlhcy5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjMxMjE2Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTExMDI2NCZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTUyNzY3JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0Qgple7KRfWVQp0s-Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) [[Three nude women in a lake, at a wooded grove. Browns, greens and blues are the main colors.] via The Ramzi and Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnYBayP0T0aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMy8xMi8xNC9hcnRzL2Rlc2lnbi9hcmFiLW51ZGUtYXJ0LXdhbGxhY2gtZ2FsbGVyeS1jb2x1bWJpYS5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjMxMjE2Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTExMDI2NCZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTUyNzY3JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0Qgple7KRfWVQp0s-Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) [Spotlighting the Body in a Nascent Arab Art World Nude painting flourished among Arab artists in the 20th century during a period of cultural renaissance. Now these rarely seen works are on view at the Wallach Art Gallery. By Sara Aridi](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnYBayP0T0aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMy8xMi8xNC9hcnRzL2Rlc2lnbi9hcmFiLW51ZGUtYXJ0LXdhbGxhY2gtZ2FsbGVyeS1jb2x1bWJpYS5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjMxMjE2Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTExMDI2NCZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTUyNzY3JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0Qgple7KRfWVQp0s-Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) [[In a black-and-white portrait, a serious-looking man in an open-collar dark shirt and dark pants leans against an outdoor bench. ] Elias Williams for The New York Times](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnYBayP0T3aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMy8xMi8xNS9tb3ZpZXMvY29yZC1qZWZmZXJzb24tYW1lcmljYW4tZmljdGlvbi1qZWZmcmV5LXdyaWdodC5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjMxMjE2Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTExMDI2NCZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTUyNzY3JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0Qgple7KRfWVQp0s-Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) [‘American Fiction’ Director Cord Jefferson on Hollywood’s New Shuffle The Emmy-winning writer and former journalist drew on personal experience for his feature debut, a layered sendup of race and hypocrisy in the book and film worlds. By Reggie Ugwu](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnYBayP0T3aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMy8xMi8xNS9tb3ZpZXMvY29yZC1qZWZmZXJzb24tYW1lcmljYW4tZmljdGlvbi1qZWZmcmV5LXdyaWdodC5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjMxMjE2Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTExMDI2NCZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTUyNzY3JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0Qgple7KRfWVQp0s-Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~)[Continue reading the main story](#a11y-skip-universal-0) ADVERTISEMENT [Ad](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnYBayP0SZaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MjA3NTc3JmxpPVJSJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1SUl8yMDIzMTIxNiZ0ZT0xJm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjMxMjE2VwNueXRCCmV7spF9ZVCnSz5SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~) Invite your friends. 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