The fantastic adventures of Koach Baruch

How do you spend your days? I'm a student with a yearning for liberation in my heart so I spend most of my days reading, writing, studying, creating collective black spaces for black people and organizing around issues that black people face. What brings you joy? I'm at a really good place right now where most of the things I do bring me joy. Love brings me joy, black spaces and black people bring me joy, seeing this sort of black Renaissance we're in brings me joy, and the fact that people are refusing to quit and continuing to resist brings me joy. What is liberation to you? Liberation to me is love. Love is liberating. I want people to love themselves and others the way that the Creator loves us. A love so freeing that it makes it impossible for you to not have the audacity to exist as your truest self, and a love so full of substance that it's impossible for us as individuals to not see how interconnected our struggles are. Liberation is lov...

How do you spend your days? Almost every morning I wake to a text from my Dad telling me "good morning" or "have a good day." I roll out of bed, grab some gummy multivitamins, turn on my "morning inspiration" spotify playlist and try to get to work on time. Most of my days are spent researching and developing a racial justice curricular praxis model for college students, coordinating an HIV/AIDS intervention program and teaching Black literature at a local HBCU. When I do get a break I try to spend time doing things that feed my soul--reading, karaoke-ing with my folk, playing basketball, writing, drumming, dancing (anywhere the beat drops). What brings you joy? Cuddling with my pit bull baby, Hannibal. Hugs from my brother. Watching sports shows with my Dad. Staying up late and watching horror movies with my mom. Deep belly laughs with my friends. Sing-a-longs with anyone who is down. The *swish* sound when the basketball touches nothing but n...

How do you spend your days? I love days that give me room to breathe and reflect. Typically, I am really busy with school work, research and extra-curricular activities. But this semester I am studying at the University of Ghana and I have more flexibility and control over my time. I do mindfulness meditations in the morning, yoga, write and daydream. Daydreaming is one of my favorite things to do - and it doesn't always have to be a solitary activity. I love dreaming out loud with my friends talking about how we want (WILL) to change the world, the places we will travel, the books we will write, how we will liberate ourselves and our communities. I drink a lot of water during the day and usually get sad at some point thinking about what is currently happening in the USA but I try and write myself out of the dark cloud.  What brings you joy?  My family is profoundly incredible. My parents are compassionate, emotionally intelligent people that always have u...

How do you spend your days? From day to day, 365, I spend my days enjoying myself and trying to get a good laugh. I can't function without friends so I'm always calling them to hangout or just to shade them real quick. Shade is one of my Love Languages. I enjoy feeding my friends too. I'm a student of the universe so I'm constantly learning, evolving and soaking in every experience.  And more than anything, just being Black... What brings you joy? As of lately, picking fruit. There's no greater feeling than taking in the colors, texture and the smell of fruit. One of my favorite fruits to pick is pineapple. You have to look for the one with the golden/ brown bottom. They even have sweet aroma. I still haven't mastered picking mangoes, they're one of my favorite to eat. There's thousands of species of mangoes, I want to try them all! What is liberation to you? Liberation is experiencing life without toxic boundaries and limitations. It...

How do you spend your days?  I'm a morning person. I wake up at 5:30am everyday. No matter what. Drink water. Stretch. Workout. Make breakfast. Text/call my mom. Head to work. If I don't work that day, then I usually get coffee and read a book. I'm kind of an ambivert. So depending on how the sun is shinning, I might hangout with friends or enjoy the day to myself. I try to smile a lot and laugh at myself. Take a moment to write about experiences, both current and past. I generally end my day with a glass of wine or three.  What brings you joy?  I absolutely love reading, researching art, and drinking wine. I have this slight obsession with learning about black people that are featured in historical European art. Visiting my mothers house on Sundays because it always smells like fresh flowers. The excitement of starting a new book. Watching the first Harry Potter film over. I work in the commercial photography field, so that also brings me joy knowing that ...

How do you spend our days? Learning and critiquing different approaches to help folks be able to live their healthiest lives. Thinking about how oppression and discrimination have very real effects on people’s health. Discussing how the healthcare system and the public health “industry” are complicit in perpetuating barriers to health for those who are most vulnerable, while they are also inadequate at effectively addressing issues identified as integral to having the opportunity to live a healthy life. Looking for and embracing things that bring me joy as often as possible. Eating tacos. Singing Beyoncé.  What brings you joy? Tacos. Beyoncé. Connecting with people I care about. Making other people laugh. Seeing my friends succeed. Knowing how much I’ve grown as a person and how much I will continue to grow.  What is liberation to you? Everyone having the opportunity to become their fully actualized selves. Having the opportunity to know who you are and w...

How do you spend your days? A typical day for me involves going to school, doing homework, playing video games and watching documentaries.  What brings you joy? Things that bring me joy are: my friends, my mom, my video games, Netflix, thinking about my future goals, A Different World, drag queens and chicken alfredo. What is liberation to you? To me, liberation is being able to be who you are. Being the gender you want, having the body shape you want, being as promiscuous as you want, being as lazy as you want. Liberation is a 3 way relationship between you, yourself and your mindset. At the end of the day a thousand people will have something to say about you but if you are living how you want then who cares?!

How do you spend your days? I’m a grant writer for a hunger relief organization.  I took this position for the experience, because really I spend my days dreaming and planning for the goals I have in mind. I love being able to contribute to the larger goal of feeding vulnerable communities, but dealing with the competitive money side can be disheartening. Otherwise, I’m spending time with my son, Greyson at our house in Bevo Mill with my roommate, Brewer, their daughter Addie, and our ridiculous dog Nora. For an introvert that spends so much time having to talk and negotiate budgets, it’s nice to have my own little corner of comfort. What brings you joy? Joy for me is getting to wear a onesie on an off day instead of pants. It’s watching my son see a joke he told land so well. It’s when I check off things on my to-do list and still have daylight left. Joy is feeding those who visit my house, seeing relief on a friend’s face when I can help them with something, and watching...

How do you spend your days? I've been taking time lately to find out what it is I'm into so I'm trying and learning all sorts of new stuff. Currently I'm learning how to garden and play the tenor banjo and I've also been painting a little. I actually just got a job though so i imagine the way I spend my days is about to look different. What brings you Joy? This is gonna sound mad cheesy but going on adventures with Rachel brings me so much joy. Our road trips and such...those are probably the only times that I feel truly carefree. I also find hella joy in my weird lil family. I love us. What is Liberation to you? Shit....this is the hardest question...I'm not sure I even know, but I guess not being under the complete control of capitalism would be a start. Everything I can and can't do, all my big ideas and pipe dreams... hell even the small stuff like going to the doctor...they all feel impossible because of money/my lack of it. It devastates me regula...

How do you spend your days? I spend my days saving the world by showcasing love; Giving of myself for the good of someone else. What brings you joy? What brings me joy is love... I love loving people and love the feeling of being loved. What is liberation to you? Liberation to me is for me to be free of the chains of confirmation and able to live my life to the fullest.

How do you spend your days? I spend my days volunteering if I'm not cutting. After I'm done with the cut; I hand my client the mirror.  The smile on their faces bring me joy.  What brings you joy? Making people smile. What is liberation to you? Wow.. Liberation. To be a woman in a man's field is hard. To be relevant yet alone, equal to them. I feel that I am who God has made me to be. Honest, Loyal and True to myself.. It means a lot.. I can do anything a man can do.. Honestly; I Feel I'm Better.

How do you spend your days? Taking time to jot down my dreams, hopes and fears. Accepting what comes and goes. Collecting sounds. Feeling the ground, the winds, the moon and the suns. Cherishing my loved ones. Preparing to complete my undergraduate program in the late spring. Affirming my black life’s existence and legacy/heritage as eternal. Thinking about collective black struggle. Re-reading the story black creation. What brings you Joy?  The possibilities of love-making-documenting-creating-remembering. The genealogy of black love and knowing that I was made in/by/through love. Skating with cousins. Dancing with my cousins. Learning about my ancestor’s technologies of communication.  What is Liberation to You?  Liberation is love being made possible and infinite. I know that love isn’t a utopian conception or idea. But Maya once said that: “Love liberates.” And when I heard that I felt that. For more than 1500 years, black bodies/communities ...

How do you spend your days? I work as a hospice nurse. I start early, work late, and I couldn't imagine doing anything else. It's such a gift to work with those who are facing the end of life. When I'm not at work, I'm spending time with my animals: Rooster the spotted hound, and Turk, the cat-shaped dog. Since I give so much emotional energy at work, most of my free time is spent recharging and finding ways to heal and recover on a daily basis. What brings you joy? The simplest of things fill my heart with joy! I've been accused more than once of having a child-like wonder for the world. I don't disagree. Every day I find something that makes me smile: watching my puppy sleep, watching our community chickens scratch and peck, all the sunsets, my mama's laugh over the phone, bright colors, smiles of strangers, good advertising, happy babies, dried mango. I try my best to experience the world around me.  I'm very committed to my frie...

How do you spend your days? I spend my days planning for the future and reaching my goals. I want to be affluent. Plain and simple. I want to freely travel the world, visit some places twice! Every day I set forth goals big or small and once I accomplish it that brings me peace. What brings you joy? My son. I never wanted kids and won't be having any more lol. Tristan gives me hope, patience, love that is limitless. I can not imagine a life without him. He is the fire that keeps me fueled. He is the key to my success. What is liberation to you? Liberation to me is human equality. We are not there yet, if someone is starving, hurt, we as people should not turn a blind eye simply because we are not hungry or we are not the ones being abused. Humanity needs humility. We need to work together as a whole. If we can do that the world as a whole would succeed. To get to a point where chaos is no longer, where Tristan can look at a person and simply see just a person

How do you spend your days? I spend my days thinking, planning, and trying to find the right questions. I'm thinking about freedom and how we'll even know if we're there. I'm thinking about what the gaps are in our current collective narratives, collective power, and collective will. I'm planning to be the most excellent I can and praying like fuck I figure it while I can. I'm questioning myself, my own vision and questioning why I'm questioning it. I'm questioning my fear of being free. What brings you joy? I find joy in the music I find and being alone with nothing planned. I find joy in those moments when I see a friend and having nothing to complain about just loving each other. What i liberation to you? Liberation to me feels like everything. It feels like the promise Hashem made to our ancestors that there is a time, a place, a being of wholeness and its for us. If we just want to live in it enough.

How do you spend your days? I spend my days reading, doing homework and watching tv. The reading is my own personal training for organizing, I like reading Stokely Carmichael because it makes me feel validated. I read a lot of Buddhist texts too because I grew up in that culture but also it helps me find peace. I want to find a way to make that peace available for a lot of people. Specifically black youth. What brings you joy? Lots of things bring me joy. I love doing art and reading on other cultures, and Photography, but so far my number one love has been writing. I wrote a book a while ago and I've been editing it slowly but surely. One day i'll feel confident enough to send it somewhere. While it's painful and a necessity, activism makes me feel strong, and when I feel strong and proud I am happy, because my whole life I haven't had my voice heard and now that I'm being given so many opportunities to let my voice be heard. What is liberation to you? ...

How do you spend your days? Right now my life is totally consumed by teenagers and school. I am the mom of a high school senior and I teach high school Biology and AP Biology. As much as I like to think I am the boss of them, my days are totally dictated by them, their needs, their wants, and trying to meet them or crush them…it depends on what they request. I am also not doing homework for my M. A. K12 Administration degree because I don’t like doing homework. Oh the irony. I’ve also been hanging out with Dr. Bae and meeting some of his awesome family and friends.   What brings you joy? ·           HOPE ·           KB ·           Family gatherings ·           My awesome friends ·           TEACHING ·      ...

How do you spend your days? I spend my days writing poetry & nonfiction. Just tryna create in a world bent on destroying itself.  What brings you joy? Joy is being at peace, even if I'm amidst a war. Unconditional love is joy. Being challenged. I find joy in shit like that. What is liberation to you? Liberation is akin to enlightenment. It's casting all internal weakness aside. Tearing down the external systems that limit you. Living & dying on your own terms. That's freedom. That's liberation.

How do you spend your days? I spend time making my visions a reality. My visions of empowering brown and black kids to see themselves as descendants of royalty, encouraging black woman to walk boldly in their purpose and promoting inclusion for all marginalized groups.  What brings you joy? Joy to me is always tied to my faith. My relationship with God brings me sustained joy. Making my parents proud is a close second.  What is liberation to you? Liberation is when all people despite socioeconomic standing, race, ethnicity, religion, or other identifying factor, are able to live bountifully and without fear. Liberation is decentralized power, it is equity and fairness, it is joy unhinged on belongings. It defies gravity. Liberation is heaven on Earth.

 How do you spend your days? I work as a videographer and I'm currently in Grad School for Digital and Multimedia Studies. I want to utilize my talents to be a vessel for the Black community to promote and help market Black businesses, events and individuals. I support my community as much as I can. Outside of that, I'm on a learning journey... mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally. I'll let you know how it goes. :) What brings you joy? Photography. Being able to capture Black joy through all the pain we go through. Mediation. Connecting with the Earth and the highest power to align and balance myself for my bigger purpose. Finding me. People. People are amazing. The genuine connections. Sharing knowledge. Love. Support. Seeing the people around me grow. Being able to trust and believe in other souls is beautiful. What is liberation to you? The ability to be whatever it is you want to be. Liberation can be as simple or complex as you need it ...

How do you spend your days?  No two days are ever the same. I’m currently on leave from my job so to dedicate the next few months to completing my thesis and graduating with my masters. Generally, the past 4 years have entailed the reality of being a full time seminarian and full time community organizer as well as continuing to nurture my creativity and craft of being a poet. What is guaranteed almost everyday to occur besides the basics of showering and brushing teeth, is listening to music of various genres, though most frequently hip-hop, then R&B; talking to my mom on the phone, and at least 2-3 other friends who I speak to daily. Besides that, anything is possible! I might spend a day reading and writing papers, convening meetings with groups and individuals as it pertains to the school to prison pipeline in our region, meeting with administrators, teachers, or other school based stakeholders, training community and congregational members on the principles of communi...

What do you do with your days? My days are spent recalibrating my spirit's compass, redirecting my energies into mutually beneficial relationships, activities, and spaces. I'm prioritizing my physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health, which is revolutionary. I also make all manner of things. What brings you joy? My grown baby. A deep, enduring joy, she is. Also, being able to make something out of nothing is one of the best miracles of life. Whether painting with my words or upcycling or vibrating my vocal cords or providing containers for brave conversations, joy results from creating. What is liberation to you? Not having to hold back any part of me for the comfort of others. Authenticity. Integrated being. Humanizing each other. Ubuntu.

How do you spend your days? I spend my days in the Beit Midrash of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. I spend up to 10 hours a day immersed in Chumash (5 Books of Moses), Mishna (the first law code of rabbinic Judaism), Talmud (a collection of Jewish law and lore), and Gemara (a commentary on and an expansion of the Mishna). When I am not immersed in study of various Jewish texts, I am out exploring the streets of Jerusalem, skyping with friends and family back home in St. Louis, cooking delicious meals from scratch, and singing.  What brings you joy? I find joy in most things that I do, but what truly brings me joy is learning for the sake of learning. Learning for me, brings about immense change to so many aspects of my life both professionally and personally.  What is liberation to you? Liberation to me is being one’s most authentic self in a world that values conformity and societal “norms.”

How do you spend your days? It depends. If I work, I work. I go in and I do my best. If I don't work, I tend to work on myself mentally and I take naps. I draw and write and I read articles - I like to learn new things about other cultures and read the news. What brings you joy? Seeing my friends and loved ones happy. It's a good feeling and it's even better if I'm able to cause that happiness. What is liberation to you? Liberation to me is absolute freedom, both mentally and physically. It's happiness and peace. It's equality and justice and a sense of content. It's overall love and peace.

How do you spend your days? This question is kinda tough, as no two days of mine are ever remotely the same. I’m a polymath and an ambivert, so it really all depends on whether or not the sun is shining and the moon is full. Given the week, I could be at my office in Tower Grove Park, climbing a smokestack in Oakland, on stage playing a concert, or somewhere with my glasses pushed up to my eyebrows trying meet a grant deadline. I can craft my ideal day: Wake up… cuddle, see the kids and lady off to work and school, make a cup of coffee, turn on my "Seu Jorge" Pandora Station, hang upside down in my yoga swing, sit at my desk and scribe some stories from my life, grow bored of the mundaneness of that, and grab my guitar and play until my fingers hurt. I think my balanced daily diet is: Androbeat. Family. Activism. Writing. Repeat. Androbeat. Family. Activism. Writing. Repeat.  What brings you joy? My partner, Amber, provides me with an immeasurable amount of happines...

How do you spend your days? It depends on what's happening in the world. I spend a lot of time contemplating, reading, playing my singing bowl, and meditating. Busy days include interviews, or traveling to speak somewhere.  What brings you joy? My little sister. She's so wise, and perceptive. One of my favorite people to talk to. Being around my friends is usually a happy occasion. Playing connect four in iMessage. What is liberation to you? Unlearning all the problematic bullshit that I was taught growing up. It's uncomfy, it's awkward, and I get angry at myself for not "getting it" fast enough, but on the other side of each thing I unlearn, I become more open - safer. 

How do you spend your days? I spend my days in classes and applying to graduate school in audiology, hoping to find a way to make some lives better through hearing. And also fawning over dogs and cats and rabbits that I hope to adopt because everyone deserves a home. What brings you joy? I love seeing others express deep emotions. Happiness and sadness and everything in between. But most of all, I love seeing friends and partners and families sharing those emotions with each other and connecting because of them. I will love people celebrating new and old members of their families (births, adoptions, homecomings, friendiversaries, mealtimes, etc) until the end of time. What is liberation to you? I think liberation is not having to fear what is around you or what is within you. Liberation should be unquestioned safety to explore the world and yourself, and to be able to ensure that the people you love have the space to do the same.

How do you spend your days? I spend my days trying to always walk in my purpose.  I spend my days trying to contribute my gifts to the world.  What brings you joy? Things that brings me joy---My family, my true friends, my partner, being creative, traveling, good food, good music & good vibes.  What is liberation to you? Liberation is to live more in a state of joy than pain.  Liberation is for my people to not just survive but to thrive.  Liberation is what was given to us by God.  Liberation is the freedom to simply be.  Liberation is something I will forever fight for.  Liberation is love.

How do you spend your days? I spend most of my days teaching yoga to adults and youth, slowly getting in touch with the divine that lives within me, and exercising my mind, body and soul.  What brings you joy? I find joy in what I call "my simple things": meditation, writing, reading, asanas, kriyas, resistance training, stretching, laughing with the people I love, twelve glasses of water a day, Guerilla Street Food (that flying pig!!!), binge watching Steven Universe and most importantly, going to bed at a decent time. All of these things help me get in touch with that inner peace and joy of just being alive.  What is liberation to you? Short answer: Since the struggle is very real and I have the divine right to be here, liberation means that even while trying to reach enlightenment I can still turn these sitting meditations, downward facing dogs and kombucha drinks into twerk sessions, haymakers and French 75s when necessary.*  Long answer: Liberation b...

How do you spend your days? Creative Time: my morning and afternoon is when I'm feeling quite creative. I usually throw on a good house track and then I become immensely filled with energy. It's almost like I have zero tolerance for anything related to "work" or that isn't fun. Most of my days are spent mixing and mastering with my favorite house music. What brings you joy? Dancing. When I'm all pent up from work activities or over stimulated by the day, I just really want to go dancing and let it all out and it makes it even more golden when people are willing to let go too and have fun. What is liberation to you? I always considered liberation to be spiritual. Almost in a transformed soul type of realm while also forming your own sense of freedom.

How do you spend your days? 9 to 5 I work in the for a company to find people jobs. I spend my days interviewing people so they can find employment that is the best fit for them. Outside of my job my passion and dedication is working to head my support group QTPOC:STL. Here I work to provide a safer space for queer and trans people of color to talk about our lived experiences. I teach racial bias training and sometimes help with trans 101 training. I meditate each evening and enjoy going to conferences that foster social justice and anti-oppression initiatives. I mediate each night in front of my Ganesh. What brings you joy? My friends who are just as close as family bring me joy, my furbabies bring me joy, dancing around the room by myself brings me joy, music brings me joy, showing personal affection brings me joy, mediating on the shores of Lake Michigan brings me joy, my grandfather and family history brings me joy. What is liberation to you? Being my authentic self i...

How do you spend your days? I spend my days working and supporting the youth , I spend daily loving and nurturing teen girls while supporting them and building them for something better than oppression and something greater than what the world feels they should be. What brings you joy? It brings joy to me to see everyone happy without incident... understanding makes me happy and of course kids can always walk in the room and change my feelings into great. What is liberation to you? Liberation to me is without worry of what's essential to my human rights which consists of my freedom to speak, my freedom to live, eat, and be housed, my right to be a human and be in control of myself and not just part ownership. When this happens, I'll feel liberated.

How do you spend your days?  I spend my days mostly just working. Always on the move & on the go. When I get downtime I like to read & watch tv.  What brings you joy?  What brings me joy is my family. Everything I've done and continue to do is always with them in mind. They've been supportive through everything and are my rock. The same goes for my partner. She's been everything to me and more. My best friend and love. Someone I can talk to, laugh & cry with. She's always had my back.  What is liberation to you?  Liberation to me is inclusiveness. Without inclusiveness there is no liberation. Liberation is freedom & equity. My people bettering themselves and each other with the latter constantly being moved and pushed away each time we move. Liberation is love in every sense of the word.

How do you spend your days? I spend my days working & twerking, starting deep conversation about unlearning all the lies we were taught growing up, and making shit happen. What brings you joy? Things that currently bring me joy include: Viola Davis, the QTPOC community that surrounds me, midnight conversations with other femmes of color, singing, and posting to my GawdessPoetry page. What is liberation to you? Liberation to me is work that comes from a love of people. It's dropping expectations of capitalistic gains from helping others. It's loving & embracing yourself as well as others, while resisting the idea of shaming/hating yourself for your most natural state of being. It's trusting that your community will have your back. It's as much about surrounding yourself with love as it is being the kind of love you want to be surrounded by.

How do you spend your days? Mostly drawing, sometimes exploring the city.  What brings you joy? Art and nature bring me joy.  What is liberation to you? Liberation to me, is finally dismantling the system that has held down my ancestors for generations.

How do you spend your days? I spend my most days at school and when I'm not in class I'm trying to organize and cultivate space for education and joy. What brings you joy? Love brings me joy. Creating space for people to laugh, grow and be affirmed. My family, friends and love are my joy. What is liberation to you? Liberation can only be achieved when we dismantle systems of oppression and create a world where people can live their fullest lives without any persecution.

How do you spend your days?  I am a professor by trade. I teach Communication and Social Justice at Saint Louis University. I spend most of the daylight hours prepping for class, conducting research, and engaging in art activism.  What brings you joy?  Swimming, thoughtful conversations, watching people's light bulbs illuminate when they learn something new and tackle an old challenge, being around my QTIPOC family and being able to let all guards down and practice community, watching my children grow into themselves and listening to their laughter, eating food made with love, and spending intentional time with my partner.  What is liberation to you?  Liberation is a state of thinking that allows our minds to explore the depths of our imagination. Liberation is a state of being that allows our bodies to walk in their truths no matter what that truth looks like. Liberation is a state of living that allows each and every one of us to thrive b...