Welcome to AphroChic magazine’s first ever Activism Issue! Our cover star, Olympian, Allyson Felix embodies activism. The most decorated athlete in track and field history, Felix is taking on a new test. The founder of the performance wear brand, Saysh, Allyson has become one of the leading voices on the Black maternal mortality crisis in America. In the world of housing justice, we speak with Kavon Ward, a Los Angeles-based spoken word artist and founder of Where Is My Land, an organization that provides legal advocacy for Black families who’s land has been stolen by governmental and corporate entities. Staying in Los Angeles, we visit the historic Leimert Park neighborhood, home to Akin Construction, a female-led construction firm that is focused on building community rather than gentrifying it. And in the world of music, we explore Meshell Nedegeocello’s new album, No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin, and how the multi-talented artist is taking audiences through a personal journey of liberation through an homage to one of the world’s greatest writers. And Tariq Trotter, aka, Black Thought, shares the redemptive power of examining one’s life, even the frightening and messy parts, to freely become the upcycled self.