When Presence Becomes Provocation
Moral Stands, Visible Presence, and the Weight of Leadership
Sometimes the content writes itself.
I wasn’t sure where to begin this week. The world feels heavy right now, with so many directions pulling at our attention. But then a Labor Day post of mine sparked an online exchange that reminded me why I write in the first place: not to avoid friction, but to learn from it.
The comments section became its own kind of classroom. Someone challenged me publicly— not with curiosity, but with certainty. They wanted to police how I see art, technology, and responsibility. And in that moment, I had a choice: I could either get pulled into endless debate, or I could use the interaction as an opening to model something larger.
That moment didn’t just hand me content for the week. It handed me clarity. Leadership doesn’t show up only in the moments when everyone agrees with you. It shows up when someone tries to drag you into conflict and you choose instead to turn that moment into a lesson, for yourself and for anyone watching.
As I reflect on the legacy of labor and the work still ahead, I’m reminded that storytelling itself is part of this struggle— lifting up voices, challenging silence, and imagining new futures together. That’s what I aim to do with Insight with Justin G. Cobb, and I’m excited to share some updates with you:
📰 Breaking News
🎥 New YouTube Episode
My latest episode features Isvari Maranwe, founder of YuVoice.
Episode Title: Isvari on Colorism, Cultural Awareness, and Being a Non-Traditional Founder
Isvari’s story is powerful, and her insights on leadership and identity are a must-watch.
👉 Watch here on YouTube
🖼️ Editorial Spotlight (Coming Soon)
I’m honored to feature De’Adrien Traylor, an Active-Duty U.S. Army member, in his debut as a model. This upcoming editorial explores the realities of being a queer, gay Black servicemember— how his body is celebrated by some and maligned by others.
✨ Stay tuned for the full release.
See below for a glimpse at what is to come.
🌍 Upcoming Episodes
New conversations are on the way with a global ensemble of guests— leaders, creators, and visionaries who embody the spirit of radical solidarity.
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🍂 Something Special in the Works
This fall, Victoria Carrington Chavez and I are cooking up something meaningful that blends culture, memory, and community. More to come when the ink is dry— stay tuned!
Want to learn more about Victoria? Check out my article: Beyond the Box: The Authentic Storytelling of Victoria Carrington Chávez.
🤝 Partnership Spotlight
I’m proud to continue building with ChamCham, a Caribbean–West African inspired beverage brand that knows authenticity isn’t just a buzzword— it’s a way of life.
ChamCham and I partnered because we both believe in the power of rootedness: honoring where we come from while daring to imagine where we can go. Their drinks carry the bold, refreshing flavors of home, and every sip is an expedition of flavor.
My work uplifts stories that ground us in truth and push us toward freedom. ChamCham does the same through culture and taste— proving that creativity, resilience, and entrepreneurship can nourish us in more ways than one.
✨ Keep an eye out for new collaborations this fall as we continue to grow this partnership and bring ChamCham’s vision to new audiences.
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🔦Community Spotlight
This week, we honor two incredible members of our community whose journeys embody resilience, leadership, and healing.
✨ Cristino N. Chávez Jr.
Cristino was just accepted into the Fred Taylor “Roll Away The Stone” Leadership Certificate Program through the School of Social Work at Howard University. His commitment to justice and healing continues to shine.
👉 Learn more in our Insight episode: Cristino Chávez on Justice, Identity, and Mental Health: A Journey of Healing and Belonging.
✨ Pius Semutumba
Pius was just granted refugee status and five years’ permission to stay in the UK, along with the right to work. His journey as an LGBTQ legal advocate is one of courage and persistence in the face of incredible challenges.
👉 Read more in our feature: An Interview with Pius Semutumba: LGBTQ Legal Advocate (From Exile to Empowerment: The Journey of Legal Advocate Pius Semutumba)
We celebrate Cristino and Pius for reminding us that leadership comes in many forms— and that belonging, justice, and freedom are struggles worth fighting for every day.
That online exchange ended up reminding me of three truths that I want to carry forward.
1. Moral Ground
There are moments in life when silence isn’t an option. If we don’t take moral stands, we risk falling for anything. But those stands have to be aimed at the right target. It makes little sense to drag people who are not the ones creating or profiting from systemic harm. In this case, the person who challenged me didn’t bring the founders or executives of AI companies into the discussion. He brought me. That’s the trap: potential allies end up sparring with one another, while the actual structures of power go unchecked.
2. Visibility and Presence
I’ll be real— part of me smiled. This person looked at my profile, my presence, my leadership, and decided I was worth sparring with. My ego liked that. But beneath ego was a deeper realization: my presence itself is reaching people. Enough to provoke. Enough to matter.
And it’s not just about words. Once, someone slid into my Grindr messages— shirtless torso and all— not to connect, but to weaponize queer identity against Palestine. What sparked him wasn’t a manifesto, it was a watermelon fan I was holding in a photo. For me, watermelon is layered: yes, I use it in solidarity with Palestine. But I also love it because it’s tasty, healthy, agricultural, and because it reminds me of home in the small working-class farming towns I grew up in. It’s personal, cultural, agricultural, and political all at once. But he tried to strip it of that meaning and twist it into a pinkwashing argument — using LGBTQ identity as a shield to excuse apartheid and violence. That’s when I realized: sometimes your very presence unsettles people, because it carries truths they’d rather not face.
3. Playing Chess
The last realization was about strategy. If I had let myself get pulled into endless back-and-forths, I would have lost track of the bigger task at hand. Instead, I recognized the friction for what it was: proof of impact. And I chose to flip the moment. I shared my deeper writing, not to convince him, but to demonstrate in real time what leadership can look like. Leadership isn’t about winning arguments. It’s about knowing when to step out of the small game and use the moment to model a bigger one.
Those three realizations— about moral ground, visibility, and strategy— were born out of small moments. But they point to something larger: the way presence itself becomes political, the way friction reveals power, and the way leadership demands we think beyond the immediate argument. That’s where the real essay begins.
