In the first installment of “Heart To Heart,” Grammy-award winner and Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kandi Burruss talks to trans pop artist Mila Jam about the power in finding solidarity between cisgender women and women of trans experience. The hour long conversation is produced by The Intersection and powered by The Gathering Spot in Atlanta, Georgia.
Music is a universal language and in “Heart To Heart”, Kandi and Mila Jam illuminate their experiences in the industry and beyond. Both artists share the love of singing, songwriting and acting. “Artivist” [artist + activist], Mila Jam, navigated seamlessly between both spaces throughout this past pride season with her moving speech at a protest and participation in several marches across New York City. Additionally, Mila Jam managed to co-produce and star in Monét X Change new music video and single ‘MARCH’, was a featured performer for MOBIfest, Juneteenth Jubilee: An Artist-Led Musical Celebration of Black Lives, and NYC Pride.
No stranger to being booked and busy, Kandi wrapped and won the recent season of Masked Singer and snagged a role in the upcoming season of The Chi. Additionally, for pride month she hosted a weekly YouTube series: Kandi Goes Beyond the Ball featuring special guests Hailie Sahar, Twiggy Garçon, and Jack Mizrahi which lead up to a virtual Ball with Precious, star of Viceland’s My House and featured artist on Kandi’s “Used to Love Me” single.
Heart To Heart also comes at a time when more conversations and opportunities to learn about the challenges facing the Black trans community is vital and can no longer wait to be had. Black Trans women continue to be murdered at alarm rates. Just this year at least 20 transgender women have been a victim of violence leading to the death of a transgender or gender non-conforming person in the U.S., including these most recent Black trans women: Shaki Peters, Bree Black, Merci Mack, Brayla Stone, Riah Milton, Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells, Nina Pop, and Monika Diamond. The average life expectancy of a Black trans woman in America is 35 years old, while the average life expectancy of Black cisgender women is 78 years old.
The organizers of The Intersect, are made up of Black queer creatives that hopes that exchanges such as this will continue to bridge the gap across the intersections of the Black community.
About The Intersection:
The Intersection is a collective committed to bridging the gap between the Black queer, trans, and cis-het communities. It is imperative to center Black voices inclusive of the LGBTQIA+ experience; elevating the spectrum of Black voices and ensuring no one gets left behind. Through interactive and intentional programming, The Intersection facilitates essential conversations equipping the Black community with the tools needed to demand liberation and freedom for ALL.
Jeffrey Martín
Jeffrey Martín (mar-TEEN), @jeffreydmartin_ (IG and Twitter) AKA @queerblackboy on IG, is a writer, producer, artist, and entrepreneur from Zone 6/ East Lake/ East Atlanta, GA. Noted in Forbes 30 Under 30, Wharton 40 Under 40, and the Echoing Green Social Impact Report for his work founding and scaling honorCode and winning the $1M Forbes Change the World Entrepreneurship Competition; Martín is currently a Vice President at BlackRock, Inc and a contributor for 032c Workshop in Berlin, Germany. Martín is a board member of Southern Fried Queer Pride (SFQP) here in Atlanta, GA. SFQP envisions a world where Black and QTPOC artists and leaders are employed and owners in the regional South.
Toni Williams
Toni is a creative consultant that has a passion for bringing people together via visual arts, music, placemaking and placekeeping. As the founder of Cultivating Cultures, LLC. and TASTE, she has been able to serve as a consultant for various organizations and projects in the city of Atlanta, including Underground Atlanta, the Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs, Fulton County Arts & Culture Dept., the A3C Festival and Conference, and many more. Her level of expertise includes project management, strategic planning, programming, and real estate. Furthermore, she is confident in her ability to utilize systematic thinking as fuel for her dynamic problem-solving and execution strategies. Toni holds a MPH in Informatics from Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University.
Victor Jackson
Born in Atlanta and raised in College Park, GA, Victor has worked with Kandi Burruss, Lil’ Wayne, Iggy Azalea, August Alsina, and Jennifer Hudson as a choreographer and creative director. He has appeared on “The Real Housewives of Atlanta”, “Braxton Family Values”, and in guest starring roles on BET’s “The Game” and “Step Up: Highwater” on YouTubeRed. Victor is also and R&B artist and his latest single, “Venom” is available now on all digital platforms
For more information about future programming follow The Intersection on Instagram: @intersectionatl.