Jeremiah Charles is a Black Freshman in Biomedical Engineering serving as a student intern at the Griot Institute for the Study of Black Lives and Culture.
Gbenga Akinnagbe is a Writer, Actor, and Activist, known for his involvement in social justice causes. He has been an advocate for human rights, particularly focusing on issues related to immigration, criminal justice reform, and access to education. Akinnagbe gained widespread recognition for his role as Chris Partlow in the critically acclaimed television series “The Wire.” He has also appeared in other TV shows such as “The Good Wife,” “24: Live Another Day,” and “The Deuce.” In addition to his nonprofit organization (Un)Liberated People, Akinnagbe uses his platform as a public figure to bring attention to important issues and promote positive change. Gbenga Akinnagbe’s activism reflects his commitment to making a positive impact beyond the realm of entertainment, and he continues to use his voice to address systemic issues and promote a more equitable society.
Interview
Jeremiah: As we begin, I would like to know more about your non-profit organizations and how you
went about the process of starting everything up. The first question I have is, since we’ve invited you to campus to talk about sustaining social movements, how do you see your work contributing to the theme of social change and how does that aim to build MLK’s vision and movement?
Gbenga Akinnagbe: Well, I have a company called Liberated People, and we donate partial proceeds
from a number of the items we sell to different nonprofits that are doing the work on the ground,
including the Billy Allen campaign, the Treyvon Martin Foundation, and the Black Women’s Blueprint.
This is social activism through activist wear, and as a small company I don’t think we can carry the
burden ourselves, but what we can do is our best using whatever platform I have, to help other nonprofits that are on the ground. Due to the brand being sales dependent we unfortunately can’t contribute as much as we’d hoped but that I believe is in line with MLK’s mission. How we spend our dollars, how we control our dollars, where we spend them, where we choose not to
spend them, it’s all very powerful.
Jeremiah: Just speaking on Liberated People, as a social justice entrepreneur what did the process of formulating your team for Liberated People look like?
Gbenga Akinnagbe: We’re still in the process of it. I’m always trying to get better at it. It’s a small team
and sometimes there’s only me and one other person to help get things done. But a lot of it has been
trying to figure out what the ethos of the company is and being specific on what it is that we’re trying to
do. We aim to provide a space where people can come and identify the struggles of other folks and be
made stronger for that. We highlight liberation dates and liberation stories and then hopefully also donate to certain nonprofits. But it really is realizing that we are stronger when we identify and stand alongside other people’s struggles which is the ethos of the company.
Jeremiah: Having played several roles in different films and plays, what acting choices do you make to communicate the theme of racial struggles and any sort of injustice struggles as a whole?
Gbenga Akinnagbe: I like the stories where its someone who is trying to do the best, they can with the
limitations they may have in life and are overcoming. But that doesn’t always have to be an honorable character or a good guy, rather just someone who’s trying to navigate life with the tools that they have and be honest to who they are. To me those are fascinating stories to tell. Now, I have told stories, done films, such as the movie I did called home about a man struggling with mental illness and trying to build his life back after a severe break, trying to get to a home in which he can earn the right to see his son again. But then again, I also did Independence Day II where I was shooting aliens, so it’s a range.
Jeremiah: It’s interesting to hear about your career, particularly how you ended up in acting. Can I ask you a couple of questions about your time at Bucknell, particularly as a Black student?
Could you start by explicating your experience as a Black student-athlete at Bucknell?
Gbenga Akinnagbe: The first two years of my career as a black student athlete were lonely. I didn’t
really feel with much community, and yet you still must perform. You deal with all the dynamics and the
politics of your team. Then I studied abroad and came back with a different perspective: Bucknell is what
you make of it. From there I reinvested and doubled down on my time here, having my best wresting
season and academic year, discovering Bucknell through different lenses. A situation may be good or bad, but the truth is that the outcome is going to be affected by the way you perceive your circumstances. That’s incredibly empowering.
Jeremiah: Considering that you were a political science and English major, while actively participating in wrestling, how were you exposed to theatre and acting?
Gbenga Akinnagbe: I think I took one class about reading plays and aided in assistant stage managing
once to fulfill a credit and that was one of the few experiences I had in and around the theatre. It wasn’t
until a couple of years after I left, doing theatre in D.C., that I really started to realize the appeal that
many had for theater. I could spend all day and night in a theater whether it be working on a piece,
workshopping a piece, seeing behind the scenes, the costume department the crew, theaters are magical places.
Jeremiah: I really appreciate how you mentioned the importance of individual voices and unification. Could you tell us how important it is for individual voices to be heard?
Gbenga Akinnagbe: Well absolutely. We need fresh thoughts. We need people to stand up and use their
voice because that’s where the power really lies. Not in weapons and people’s money, and institutions, all these things only hold power because we decide they do. Real power is in the individual and the groups and is only exercised when we use our voice. Providing platforms where people can voice themselves and interrogate their thoughts and ideas to bring their opinions out to the forefront and use them effectively is key. Particularly on campuses now, that are under attack because they refuse to allow young people to think for themselves and have voices.
Jeremiah: If there is nothing else that you feel compelled to discuss that we already haven’t mentioned then I would like to thank you for your time in joining me in this interview.
Gbenga Akinnagbe: Of course.
End of Interview.
