Study Breaks w/ Bem A. Joiner

I’m not even gonna hold y’all, there is a lot packed into this episode. If I had to summarize it, I would have to entitle it something like “The Integration of Atlanta’s Political Police and the Creative Community”. No conversation like this could be had with anyone other than my guy, Bem Joiner, founder of Atlanta Influences Everything. 

Bem, being an Atlanta native, has seen the city go through its fair share of changes; some for the good and some not so much. What has undoubtedly and consistently been on an upward trajectory are the creatives in Atlanta have created a culture the entire world attempts to emulate. The question Joiner presents essentially is, “why is it that Atlanta has all of this global influence, yet the creatives in the city aren’t reaping the benefits of what draws so much attention to the city thats considered a “Black Mecca”?”.

In short, Bem did not provide us with a solution to his legitimate question. Partially because for many of us, this dynamics between policy makers and the creative community is foreign to us and we needed to use this time for Bem to lay out a clear picture of all that is at play. 

I can say for certain there will eventually a part 2 to this conversation but I truly believe this a dialogue all of the creatives in the city need to be invested in. Grab your pen and pad and be prepared to pick up what the homie is putting down. #stayexcellent

– Blair Caffey (@honorrollblair)