find their voices, their confidence, their joy.

Instead, I'm now part of a system that teaches them where to hide if

immigration enforcement breaks down the school door.

In this episode of Living IncogNegro, Gin Hammond reflects on the

surreal, heartbreaking reality of teaching in 2025 — where ICE raid

protocols sit alongside active shooter drills as standard procedure

for children who haven't yet lost their baby teeth.

And she doesn't stop there. Gin draws a direct historical line to the

Brown Shirts of Nazi Germany — asking the question too many people are

afraid to say out loud: Are we already in it? And if so, what do we do?

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🔍 IN THIS EPISODE:

- Teaching drama — and hiding spots — to elementary school kids

- The psychological toll of ICE raid protocols on children & teachers

- How schools are navigating immigration enforcement fears

- The historical parallel between ICE raids and Nazi Brown Shirt tactics

- What ordinary people did (and didn't do) in pre-war Germany

- The moral weight of staying silent vs. speaking out

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💬 FREQUENTLY ASKED:

Q: Are schools really doing ICE raid drills?

A: Yes. Educators across the country are developing internal protocols

to protect students in the event of immigration enforcement actions

on or near school grounds — a reality that has emerged alongside

existing active shooter and lockdown procedures.

Q: Is comparing ICE to the Brown Shirts fair or accurate?

A: Gin explores this historical comparison directly, examining the

structural and behavioral parallels between state-sanctioned

enforcement targeting specific communities — and what history

tells us about where those patterns lead.

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⚠️ This episode contains mature themes including state violence,

historical atrocity, and the emotional experiences of children.

Intended for thoughtful adult listeners.

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🌐 LivingIncogNegro.com

📩 Subscribe for new episodes every week.

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#LivingIncogNegro #ICERaids #SchoolSafety #ImmigrationReform

#TeachersOfYouTube

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

and you respond by applying for bigger jobs and doing stand-up comedy

about the experience?

In this episode of Living IncogNegro, Gin Hammond shares the story of

her friend who was illegally detained by ICE ; and instead of shrinking

in fear, he chose radical defiance: pursuing career advancement, using

humor as resistance, and turning his platform into a tool for community

support.

Gin also reflects on her grandfather's legacy — one of the first Black

doctors in Texas and one of the first Black millionaires in the state —

and what it truly means to leverage power, privilege, and position to lift

others up.

This episode asks the hard question: When systems are designed to break

you, how do you not only survive — but rise?

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🔍 IN THIS EPISODE:

- What it means to be illegally detained by ICE as a Black American

- Why humor and defiance are legitimate forms of resistance

- How one man used his platform to help others after his ordeal

- The legacy of Black doctors, Black millionaires & responsible power

- What Gin's grandfather teaches us about generational wealth and service

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💬 FREQUENTLY ASKED:

Q: What does "Living IncogNegro" mean?

A: It's about navigating spaces — professional, social, and cultural —

where Black identity is minimized, masked, or misunderstood. The show

explores resilience, identity, and power with candor and wit.

Q: Who is Gin Hammond?

A: Gin Hammond is a storyteller, performer, and cultural commentator

whose work explores race, identity, and what it means to live fully

and freely as a mixed race American.

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🌐 LivingIncogNegro.com

📩 Subscribe for new episodes every week.

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#ICEDetention #BlackExcellence #BlackHistory

#ImmigrationReform

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's deeply personal — and she's not holding back.

In this moving segment, Gin opens up about her immediate emotional connection to Chase Infiniti after watching her breakout performance in One Battle After Another. When Gin discovered that Chase — like herself — has a white mother and a Black father, that connection became something even more powerful: a sense of shared identity, pride, and fierce rooting interest.

But this isn't just about representation. Gin breaks down why Chase Infiniti is the real deal — a rare combination of raw, wicked talent AND sharp business instincts.

From curating designer relationships to strategically positioning herself during awards season, Chase is playing the long game — and Gin finds it deeply satisfying to watch unfold.

If you've been sleeping on Chase Infiniti, this is your wake-up call.

⏱️ Timestamps

0:00 — Introduction

0:18 — Gin's first reaction watching Chase in One Battle After Another

0:26 — The personal connection: mixed identity & shared background

0:34 — White mom, Black dad — just like Gin

0:45 — Why Gin is rooting HARD for Chase's success

0:50 — Breaking down Chase's undeniable talent

0:58 — Awards season opening doors & what comes next

1:04 — Chase as a savvy businesswoman

1:17 — Setting up for long-term success

1:25 — Gin's closing thoughts

🔥 Featured In This Video

Actor spotlight: Chase Infiniti

Film referenced: One Battle After Another

Topics: Mixed race identity, representation in Hollywood, Oscars season, emerging actresses, Black excellence, entertainment business strategy

📣 Connect With Gin Hammond

🌐 Website: LivingIncogNegro.com

📸 Instagram: @LivingIncogNegro

🎵 TikTok: @LivingIncogNegro

📘 Facebook: Living Incog Negro

🎙️ Podcast: Search Living Incog Negro wherever you listen to podcasts

If this conversation moved you — SUBSCRIBE, hit the bell 🔔, and share this with someone who needs to know the name Chase Infiniti right now.

#ChaseInfiniti #GinHammond #OneBattleAfterAnother #oscars2026 carSeason

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Acting coach and cultural commentator Gin Hammond gives her unfiltered, passionate review of the Paramount+ hit series; and her take might surprise you.

In this segment, Gin breaks down why The Landman had her completely transfixed, from the show's jaw-dropping opening scene (one of the best she's ever seen), to Billy Bob Thornton's unforgettable delivery, to the series' fearless writing that goes places you never expect.

She also shares why the show is more than just entertainment — it's a wake-up call about America's dependence on oil that feels urgent, relevant, and impossible to look away from.

⏱️ Timestamps

0:00 — Introduction

0:19 — Why The Landman had Gin transfixed

0:26 — Her honest note about one actor's performance

0:44 — The opening scene that blew her away

0:51 — Texas idioms & the Billy Bob Thornton moment

1:19 — What the show reveals about America's oil dependence

1:43 — Final verdict & Season 3 anticipation

🔥 Featured In This Video

Show reviewed: The Landman (Paramount+)

Star discussed: Billy Bob Thornton

Topics: TV reviews, acting analysis, cultural commentary, oil industry, streaming recommendations

📣 Don't Miss More From Gin Hammond

🌐 Website: LivingIncogNegro.com

📸 Instagram: @LivingIncogNegro

🎵 TikTok: @LivingIncogNegro

📘 Facebook: Living IncogNegro

🎙️ Podcast: Search Living IncogNegro wherever you listen to podcasts

If Gin's perspective resonated with you — SUBSCRIBE, hit the bell 🔔, and share this with someone who needs to start watching The Landman immediately.

🏷️ Hashtags

#TheLandman #BillyBobThornton #GinHammond

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In this episode of Living IncogNegro, Gin shares the emotional journey of clearing her late mother's home, uncovering rare photos of her parents' love story, and the unexpected lesson that came from a missing heirloom: nobody is entitled to anything.

This story touches on grief, interracial love, family sacrifice, the holidays after loss, and how to find gratitude in the midst of what feels like absence.

What You'll Discover in This Episode:

— How Gin's parents fell in love when interracial marriage was illegal in many U.S. states

— The $45,000 engagement ring — and why it vanished

— Why finding photos can be more powerful than finding things

— How Gin navigates grief during the holiday season

— A powerful mindset shift around entitlement, gratitude, and what we truly "deserve"

⏱ Chapters / Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction: Ready to Change the World Together

00:11 – Losing Both Parents in the Same Season

00:27 – Grief During the Holidays (It Does Get Better)

00:33 – Clearing Mom's Home & Finding the Photos

00:41 – The Love Story That Defied the Law

00:52 – What He Was Asking Her to Risk — and What She Lost

01:08 – The $45,000 Engagement Ring

01:38 – The Search: Coffee Cans & Appraisal Letters

01:56 – The Airport Call & The Answer Nobody Wanted

02:16 – The Real Lesson: Entitlement, Deserving & Letting Go

02:33 – The Real Treasure: Photos of Love

02:45 – Closing: Join the Conversation

🌐 Learn more, explore the podcast, and join the community:

👉 LivingIncogNegro.com

💬 Did this story hit home?

Drop a comment below. What's something a loved one left behind — not a thing, but a feeling or a memory — that you treasure most?

👍 Like | 🔔 Subscribe | 💬 Comment — it helps more people find these conversations.

#valentinesday #InterracialLove #BlackHistory #familystories

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

mean to date with radical authenticity?

Gin Hammond gets real about blind matchmaking, the exhausting "what are you?" question, and why dating later in life hits completely different when you finally know who you are.

Whether you're mixed, multiracial, or just done shrinking yourself to

fit someone else's box — this one's for you.

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⏱️ CHAPTERS

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0:00 – Introduction: Gin is Living IncogNegro

0:22 – Dating in your 40s: searching for a kindred spirit

0:36 – How dating feels different when you've already built a life

1:04 – What it means to be fully yourself with a partner

1:49 – The blind matchmaking service with NO last names, NO photos

2:28 – Why "the box of chocolates" dating approach works

3:05 – When a date asked: "What are you?"

3:41 – Mixed women, fetishization & being perceived as "exotic"

4:20 – Do mixed men experience this too? Jin asks the audience

4:46 – Closing reflection & call to continue the conversation

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💬 IN THIS EPISODE

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Gin opens up about using a blind matchmaking service where you don't

learn the other person's name, race, profession, or even last name

until an hour before the date. She reflects on what it's like to date

without preconceptions — and without anyone doing "recon" on her first.

But a question on one of those dates stopped her cold: "What are you?"

Jin unpacks the fetishization that mixed-race women — and multiracial

people broadly — often experience in dating and social spaces, and

connects it to a conversation she had with a mixed woman in her 20s

who was experiencing the exact same thing. The cycle hasn't broken.

This episode is part of the Living IncogNegro series — raw, honest

conversations about identity, race, belonging, and what it means to

live authentically as a mixed-race person in America.

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🌐 LEARN MORE & JOIN THE CONVERSATION

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🎙️ Podcast + full episodes: https://www.LivingIncogNegro.com

📲 Subscribe for new conversations every week

👇 Drop your story in the comments — have YOU been asked "what are you?"

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🔔 If this conversation made you think, hit LIKE & SUBSCRIBE

so you never miss an episode of Living IncogNegro.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Living IncogNegro, Gin reflects on the current Oscar season and why this year feels different. With 16 Oscar nominations for a film that speaks directly to history, identity, and the present moment, this isn’t just awards buzz—it’s cultural timing.

Gin explores why seeing mixed and multiracial characters in prominent roles matters, especially when those stories aren’t sidelined but centered. From reflections on the Oscars as art versus business, to nostalgia for when creativity felt louder than commerce, this conversation asks a deeper question:

What does it mean when the culture finally catches up to stories that have always existed?

This episode is about identity, visibility, and why some stories surface now—not by accident, but because the world is ready (or forced) to see them.

If you’re mixed, multiracial, culturally curious, or paying attention to how art reflects who we are becoming, this conversation is for you.

⏱️ Chapter Timeline (YouTube Chapters)

0:00 – Welcome to Living IncogNegro

0:09 – Why This Oscar Season Feels Different

0:21 – 16 Nominations and Cultural Timing

0:32 – “The Past Is the Present”: Why These Stories Matter Now

0:47 – Mixed Identity Finally Centered On Screen

1:17 – Why This Level of Representation Is Rare

1:30 – The Oscars as a Cultural Zeitgeist

1:44 – Art vs. Business: What We’ve Lost

1:59 – Red Carpet Fashion as Living Art

2:34 – Media Saturation and the Future of the Oscars

If this conversation got you thinking:

👉 Visit LivingIncogNegro.com

🎙️ Continue the conversation on the podcast

📲 Follow Living IncogNegro on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook

Like, subscribe, and comment—especially if you’ve felt this cultural shift too.

#SinnersMovie #MichaelBJordan

#Oscars2026

#MixedIdentity

#MultiracialVoices

#RepresentationMatters

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Living IncogNegro, Gin reflects on the beginning of a new year through an unexpected lens: a Jamaican-inspired high tea, an unfinished vision board, and an honest inventory of who she’s becoming. From African skiing culture to silliness, romance, adventure, and showing up for the next generation—this conversation is about permission: to want more, to move differently, and to live intentionally without apology.

This episode is for anyone rethinking New Year’s resolutions, identity, joy, and what growth actually looks like when it’s quiet—but real.

If this conversation made you pause, reflect, or feel seen, you’re in the right place.

⏱️ Chapter Timeline (YouTube Chapters)

0:00 – Welcome to Living IncogNegro

0:12 – A Jamaican-Inspired High Tea & Community

0:40 – Vision Boards, Even When They’re Unfinished

0:52 – The Woman With Flowers: Identity & Intention

1:01 – Skiing in Lesotho: Expanding What’s Possible

1:15 – Choosing Silliness, Adventure, and Curiosity

1:28 – Language, Love, and Being There for the Next Generation

1:37 – Rethinking New Year’s Resolutions

1:42 – Closing Reflections & Invitation to Continue the Conversation

Ready to keep the conversation going?

👉 Visit LivingIncogNegro.com

🎙️ Listen to the podcast

📲 Follow and connect on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook

Like, subscribe, and comment—especially if this episode made you rethink how you’re starting your year.

#LivingIncogNegro

#NewYearReflection

#VisionBoardEnergy

#BlackWomenCreating

#IntentionalLiving

#QuietGrowth

#IdentityJourney

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I'm Gin from Living IncogNegro, and I'm at the American Film Market this week promoting Returning The Bones – a powerful historical fiction film based on an award-winning novel that asks the ultimate question: When the people in power want to destroy you, your values, and your community, do you stay and fight for change, or escape while you can?

✨ Meet Bebe – one of the only African American female medical students of the World War II era. She's brilliant, courageous, and faces an impossible choice:

🗽 Return to the Jim Crow South as a wanted activist, risking everything to fight for her people

OR

🇫🇷 Escape to Paris where she's treated like a superstar, free from persecution and celebrated for who she is

This is historical fiction with a dash of magical realism – a story that explores activism, identity, sacrifice, and the true cost of freedom. Bebe's journey takes her around the world, but ultimately, she must decide: What matters more – personal freedom or collective liberation?

💭 I want to hear from YOU: What would you do in Bebe's position?

Drop your answer in the comments – would you stay and fight or escape to safety?

🎬 Returning The Bones captures:

✅ The untold stories of Black female pioneers in medicine

✅ The impossible choices activists face under oppression

✅ The stark contrast between Jim Crow America and the Paris that celebrated Black artists and intellectuals

✅ Themes of sacrifice, community, and what we owe to those who can't escape

✅ Historical fiction that feels urgently relevant today

Video Chapters (if expanding content):

0:00 - Introduction

0:13 - What is Returning The Bones?

0:35 - Meet Bebe: The Impossible Choice

1:01 - The Question: What Would YOU Do?

1:16 - Call to Action

👉 Want to dive deeper into stories that challenge how we see identity, history, and belonging?

Visit LivingIncogNegro.com to explore more, join the conversation, and connect with our community.

📲 Join us on:

📘 Facebook: Living IncogNegro

📸 Instagram: @LivingIncogNegro

🎵 TikTok: @LivingIncogNegro

#IndieFilm #HistoricalFiction #WWII #WorldWarII #JimCrow #BlackHistory #AmericanFilmMarket #WomenInMedicine #BlackWomen

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm Gin, and this is Living IncogNegro – a story about looking white but growing up with only Black family.

But here's what I discovered: this isn't just MY story. When I performed Living IncogNegro live, the audience reaction was overwhelming. So many people revealed they're struggling with the same disconnect – their physical appearance doesn't align with their internal identity, culture, or experience.

Whether it's about race, culture, identity, or belonging – if you've ever felt like you're living in a body that doesn't tell your true story, you're not alone.

🎭 Living IncogNegro explores:

✅ Mixed-race identity and cultural belonging

✅ The invisible struggle of "not looking the part"

✅ Growing up between two worlds

✅ Finding authenticity when the world sees you differently

✅ Universal themes of identity and self-acceptance

This week, I'm at the American Film Market promoting Living IncogNegro and other projects that challenge how we see identity, race, and belonging in America.

👉 Want to learn more about this journey? Visit LivingIncogNegro.com to dive deeper into the story, join the conversation, and connect with a community that understands what it's like when your outside doesn't match your inside.

💬 Join our community:

📘 Facebook: Living IncognNegro

📸 Instagram: @LivingIncogNegro

🎵 TikTok: @LivingIncogNegro

#MixedRace #Identity #RacialIdentity #Biracial #Multiracial #BlackIdentity #CulturalIdentity #AmericanFilmMarket

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In this video, we explore unique and fascinating descriptors like Cordicuia (gourd colored), Cardau (thistle), and Marinha (sailor woman colored). What do these words mean? Where did they come from? And what do they reveal about Brazilian history, colonization, and identity?

We also give a quick shoutout to Fancy Dancer, a moving show about a dancer navigating heritage and identity, co-produced by Seattle Repertory Theater and Seattle Children’s Theater.

If you’re Brazilian, we need your insight! 🗣️ Drop a comment below and help us understand these terms better.

⏳ Timestamps

0:00 – Feeling better & theater shoutout 🎭

1:15 – Introduction to Parda (Part 2)

2:05 – Breaking down Brazilian racial descriptors

4:50 – Invitation to share your knowledge

💬 Let’s start a conversation about race, history, and language!

#Brazil #Parda #RaceAndIdentity #BrazilianHistory #Anthropology

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Award winning actress Gin Hammond shares how she would love to be introduced to casting directors, highlighting her unique background as a multiracial performer, a graduate of the ART (American Repertory Theater), and a specialist in accents, dialects, and multi-character solo shows.

Gin’s experience spans acting, dialect coaching, and award-nominated performances — including nominations for Best Ensemble and Best Lead Actor at local theater awards.

Whether you’re an actor preparing for auditions or a casting director looking to make talent feel seen, this video will show you how a thoughtful introduction can set the tone for success.

Keywords: acting tips, casting directors, audition advice, actor introduction, theater, dialect coaching, ART graduate, Best Lead Actor nominee, actor branding

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this video, I reflect on how football created a sense of season, belonging, and nostalgia. Whether you’re a lifelong fan or just discovering the magic of the game, this one’s for you.

Hit like if football was a big part of your childhood too!

#FootballLife #Seahawks #Chargers #NFLNostalgia #FallVibes

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Since the 1940s, Brazilians have been able to describe their race in their own words on the census, leading to over 100 different terms — some serious, some downright hilarious. From Amarela (yellow) to Burro-cuando-poje (yes, that’s "disappearing donkey"), these categories reveal Brazil’s complex history of identity and diversity.

In this video, I share a few of my favorites and invite you to help me understand them better. If you’re Brazilian or just curious about cultural identity, drop a comment and let me know what you think!

🐴💬 Which one surprised you the most?

Timestamps:

0:00 – Intro & recovery update

0:16 – What are pardas?

0:38 – The 1970s survey

1:13 – My favorite pardas revealed

#Brazil #Census #Culture #Diversity #Pardas

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If you love autumn fashion, New York energy, and easy cocktails, you’re in the right place.

Like & subscribe for more seasonal style and simple drink ideas. Cheers!

#autumninnewyork #redhead #mixedrace #cocktails #autumn

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I’m not saying they were true lovers—but the mechanism of doom is familiar. I’m reminded of a classroom debate where kids argued over who killed Shakespeare’s pair: the friar who was too slow, the donkey that plodded, Mercutio, Tybalt.

Those names shift, but the culprit doesn’t. In Shakespeare, it’s “the parents”; in Sinners, it’s a society that never learned to love or forgive. When a culture withholds humanity and mercy, it scripts the ending before the first act. Mary and Stack didn’t fail—they were failed.

They never had a real chance, not because of individual choices, but because the world they were born into made tragedy their default inheritance.

#romeoandjuliet #sinnersmovie #michaelbjordan #ryancoogler

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One friend had just become an American citizen and flew home to visit family—only days before the bombings. She and her loved ones are safe for now, but she’s caught between two countries and an uncertain path back to her new life.

Another friend is an acting student—fearless, queer, and at risk daily for simply existing with short hair in public. I first met her through a powerful Zoom audition (a searing “Medea” monologue). She’s now creating a film about a transgender punk artist in Iran. In the midst of bombings and relocation to a northern village, she keeps making art—because for her, art is a survival skill.

This conversation is about courage, identity, and the way creativity helps us endure. If these stories resonate, please share, comment, and support artists working under threat.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s travel vlog, I take you along for a laid-back morning filled with coffee hunting, a little Garifuna language practice, and unexpected wildlife moments (hello, gecko!). You’ll hear about my small in-flight mishap when my hair product leaked in my bag, see the relaxed pace of Belize mornings, and find out how mosquitoes and geckos make for an interesting tropical adventure.

Whether you’re planning a Belize vacation, curious about Garifuna culture, or just love casual, real-life travel moments, this video will make you feel like you’re right here with me.

Timestamps:

0:00 Welcome to Lucencia, Belize

0:15 Hair product mishap on the flight

0:40 Coffee time & breakfast vibes

1:05 Garifuna language learning for beginners

1:30 Mosquito battles in paradise

1:50 Gecko encounter & mystery discovery

📍 Featured Location:

Lucencia, Belize – known for its laid-back charm, beautiful coastline, and vibrant Garifuna culture.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sparky shares: The Garifuna migrated from Honduras, which is one of our neighboring countries.

They came here and from there they started to migrate over in Plasencia, down that side. And then from there, we have them all over in Belize now. And then our main ancestors come from the Maya.

I was reading that Belize is one of the most mixed places in the world, over 52%. We have Garifunas, Mestizos, Mayans, people from all over, Chinese, Lebanese, Philippines, Canadians. So we have people from all over.

We're a little mixed country. Not everybody gets along with everybody, but we try to. Yeah.

If somebody is mixed, like obviously mixed, you know, like maybe part Mayan, part black, part something else.

Do people give them the hassle or does it matter?

Not really anymore. It used to be, I would say, maybe when people came from Guatemala.

Back then in 2010, 2015, it was a big hassle, but not anymore. It's something that we try to live with each other. Yeah.

That's not a lot of time. What changed?

I mean, Belizeans get mixed with Guatemalan people. Yeah.

My wife, her parents were Guatemalan. Her dad was Belizean. I don't know if you noticed, but when we go to the grocery stores, like if you go to a Lebanese store, the younger ones, you'll hear them speak perfectly English or Creole.

Reasons why? Because they go to school here like anybody else.

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Similarly, a group that I've worked with, Wash Masks, a friend of mine started this. It was just artists who were unemployed, you know, actors, because we couldn't do theater in 2020, providing PPE for seasonal farm workers out in Eastern Washington. And then, as needs were perceived, that grew, and that grew to include clothing, that grew to include books, especially for children, that grew to include art supplies, again, especially for children.

And so, I, by extension, always have them in the back of my mind. I am really, really grateful for the intelligence and creativity behind the app, ICEblock.

Big props to Joshua Aaron, inventor of the app, ICEblock. I get the impression he's a genius. I think he invented some kind of an online card game or something back in the day when he was 13. So, I think that has to do with why this is the app that's being used. And he's not using it as a tool to interfere with ICE. It's just to keep the communication open.

I have fear, and I think about the brown shirts a lot. You know, it's kind of like the Kristallnachts are coming, and they're getting bigger and bigger in this country. And so, we have, what is it, alligator Alcatraz.

It makes me think of the Warsaw ghetto and other places like that. You know, it's just, it's ridiculously parallel. And yeah, we're in a perilous time.

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For example, my son and I didn't text much before, but we're texting more now, and different ideas, thoughts, feelings sometimes come through a text more than they will in a face-to-face conversation, and related to that, you're going to get a lot more out of your kid in terms of listening if you're both facing the same direction, like in a car, within five minutes of arriving in the driveway when they know that they can escape, right?

So those tactics, those techniques have been helpful, and I recently talked to a dad who's read—it's amazing that this guy read the book Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski, who's a sex therapist, and so he wants his—it's geared towards women, and he wants his daughter to be aware of the amazing things in this book, and I've since read the book, and it's fantastic.

Seminal idea, all the same parts, different configuration, thank you, Emily Nagoski, which also relates in a way to being mixed, but yeah, so he said, so what I'm going to do is I took the book, and I just put it in her bookcase, and I'm just kind of hoping she'll go, where'd this come from, and just like get into the book, you know, because there's a lot of amazing information, sensitive information, graphic information, useful information, so highly recommend, and especially, think, if you're a dad, and you want to reinforce the idea of consent, consent, consent, consent with your daughter, this is a great book that way, but it's also very sex positive, so you have to be ready for that as well, so if that's you, then that's your book.

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It's been a while since I looked at the individual stories of the principal characters and the real people, who they were, but I love that Hidden Figures has brought attention to them and continues to, right?

I still see things pop up and one of the things that I love about it the most is that it's one of these stories where you see people, these black women, who are clearly underappreciated, soaring despite everything and having to work twice as hard and it's not just themselves but it can be their community as well and showing what the power of community can do too and it's a funny thing with religion these days, you know, who is a part of it, who's not, but I do love the W. Kamau Bell's thing about it's such a white thing to be an atheist, right?

No, I'm good. I don't need community. I don't need support. I don't need any spiritual boosters.

But yeah, seeing how all of that comes together to sustain these women through things that would make most people quit right away, right?

Especially because they're seeing the bigger picture, the bigger impact, and they're recognizing and feeling their own worth too.

I think that's another exciting thing about the film that everybody can relate to, right?

What is it when you feel your worth and you keep fighting to have that recognized properly, not just, hey, look at me, but recognized properly.

And yeah, black scientists. It's just cool.

Can I tell you how much I love black nerds and how excited I am that there are more and more events for black nerds.

Even things that I'm not interested in, I just love that there has been a safe space created, and it's taken a lot of time.

And a lot of my favorite friends happen to be black nerds, and it just feels so free and understood in this environment.

And that's something that I'm seeking to do with Living IncogNegro.

Just create safe spaces.

Who knows? Maybe we'll have national events one day. That'd be cool.

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It's Aperol liqueur and Prosecco with a dash of soda water, usually served with a wedge of orange,and it's always served in this sort of pear-shaped glass, and so the bottom part of it sort of magnifies whatever light is traveling through it, and the color of it, it's like a sunset, but a sunset when it's warm, like in the summer

So you see a beach full of people, I'm thinking about the beach in the Netherlands or when I was in Italy, you just see all these people with Aperol Spritzes that seem to be capturing the light, capturing the essence of the moment, and it's delicious.

Except you have to be careful. Sort of like a Long Island iced tea, it doesn't hit you hard, but it'll hit you.

I love those.

As far as what to eat with it, you can go savory, you can go sweet, you can do the olives or charcuterie, anything. It goes with everything.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together.

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It couldn't be more clear and it just seems to be getting more palpable day by day in the most awful way. You know, I'm thinking about loved ones getting snatched away, the possibility, the very real possibility of that happening.

Both, family members and one person who is almost going to be a family member, as well as friends, as well as, gosh, I've been trying to help somebody, put it to you this way, maybe I've been trying to help somebody from a non-sanctioned country, or should I say a sanctioned country, who is an artist, a student, trying to see if there's any way that she can come here, and now I'm not advising her the same way I was before.

And we're looking at maybe some other places because despite her disappointment, what if she came here and ended up at Guantanamo, you know?

It's terrifying.

And trying to balance so many things, right? Trying to balance the fight and the flight.

So, I want to continue to retain my own humanity and have compassion for the people who would like to see me dead and people that I'm kind of afraid of, but also it's a war.

So, it's the same thing.

I want to do what I can here, but I'm also looking at history and thinking about situations where people did leave their country for a time.

And also instances where people tried to.

There was a ship that left Germany during World War II. It was filled with mostly middle-class Jewish people or just other people who the Nazis didn't like. So, that list is long.

Kind of like some other lists we're getting more and more acquainted with here in 2025.

And there were no ports, including any U.S. ports, that would let this ship dock.

So, the ship with all these people, with their families and their hopes and their belongings and their abilities and skills.

– Because that was an instance of brain drain. And that's happening in this country –

The ship got turned around and sent back to Germany. And you can imagine what happened to the people who were on the ship, right?

So many things going through the brain at the same time.

It's going to start with loved ones, not wanting them to get snatched off the street or have their

homes broken into.

Yeah, it's a lot.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together.

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So it doesn't even matter. I think, what if we all got together?

That's still my big question.

Like, would a rift form in the vortex or would something crazy happen?

That's almost the way it feels to me, at the idea of getting together with a whole bunch of mixed people.

So, gosh, I mean, if I was going to say somebody in particular, why don't we go back to Keanu?

I don't know. There's just so many people I admire. As a writer, there are two people who come to mind.

One is Deb Kahn. We graduated from the ART together, the American Repertory Theatre for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University slash Moscow Art Theatre School. And she went on to write for the West Wing, Grey's Anatomy, I think it's called The Diplomat, all these things.

And it's funny, when things started to take off for her, I didn't know what to do. My sense of self wasn't nearly what it is now. And I just got sort of too nervous to hang out with her, even though she was my friend.

It was very silly.

Funny side story, at the showcase for the ART, we did our little scenes and everything. And there were people talking to the actors and somebody talked to somebody else.

And that person wanted to speak to the mixed person. And then that person was brought over to me. And the person was just befuddled, because they actually wanted to speak to Deb, who's Sephardic Jewish.

And they thought that she was mixed. So it was just kind of a funny mix up happening there.

Also, there's this Harvard Writers Group.

I was taking some classes because you never stop taking classes. And there's a young Harvard writer named Monique Hall. And what she wrote captured me.

So funny, so heartfelt, all of those things. And I'm already a fan. I know that she is going to go places.

So I would want to write with this absolute hardcore veteran, and this shining newbie and just see what we could come up with.

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Right when you're casting somebody, you're like, "I love this actor, but this is the person who fits the best for whatever reason."

But two people come to mind. I don't know if he was ever in any movies. He must have been.

Ron Cephas Jones, may he rest in peace. He played William on This Is Us. I think he and his daughter got an Emmy the same year, which had never happened before in the history of the Emmys.

But he and I did a show called Noonday Sun together, which was about a person who was passing. And I was nervous around him.

I had an actor crush on him because it's one of these situations where, and he couldn't have been kinder, but you know the real deal when you see it.

This person is not just an artist, he's an Artiste. E at the end, capital A. And he couldn't be any other thing if he tried.

To see how he was always so pure about the work, it inspired and intimidated me at the time. But I wanted to grow up and be like him.

Another person I adore is Keanu Reeves, one of my mixed idols. He's just such a cool person. So I love him, and I'll see him in anything.

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And the less we're in touch with each other, the more our ability to express things and express them well and profoundly and in a unified way, the more that's weakened, you know.

So many people, we have our echo chambers, right?

But instead of shifting the narrative, we need to look at the framework, the world in which the narrative is happening, right?

And I feel like one difficulty that a lot of artists and a lot of, you know, political artists too especially have is in finding where are these places where it's worth it to give a little for the greater good. I am a person who believes in the greater good.

I don't associate the word compromise only with negativity, right?

The first time I ever came across somebody who thought the word compromise was a negative thing, it took me a while. I always thought it was a positive thing, it's the way, you know, we find a way. But yeah, it's a lot of, I was talking with my agent, a lot of actors seem to be regarding acting or treating it more as a hobby because they're juggling so many other survival jobs.

And what does that do? That impairs their work. I mean, you know, there's commercial stuff, but there's also other things, right? So it's interesting to see the direct impact that what's going on now in our country is having. That said, these things can be like a grit in an oyster shell, right? There's so many Soviet artists, you know, I studied in Russia for a bit.

There's so many artists who, once the wall fell and perestroika started to take place and all of that, they're like, I don't know what to write about anymore.

There's a great play at Seattle Rep. Mother Russia, where there was a singing star because she was singing against the government and oppression and the regime.

And then come perestroika, she's like, now I'm just a school teacher because all this stuff that I was singing about is moot. So it could be one of these never waste a good crisis moments, but we just have to get our brains there faster, I think, for our own survival.

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One of the main things that happens is humidity. If you have curly hair, I would say, give into it. You know, we spend so much time, money trying to fight what is natural during the summertime.

Especially if it's hair, you can find something where you can let your hair be your hair and tell other people just to back off if they're going to give you a hassle about it, right?

But if you want some more options, then I do love the Ouidad product. Climate control, anti-humidity.

Something that a lot of us with what I call ‘potential melanin’ struggle with is that we can change color and get all kinds of different spots real fast.

Now, part of me loves that. I wish we all had like stripes and spots and stuff. I would like to look like a jaguar.

But, you know, things come and go and whatever.

But for you youngins out there, note all the freckles and sunspots and things that usually go away during the winter and come back. After a while, they stick around, especially on your chest.

So, if that is not something that you want, use that sunscreen, you know, 50, 70 + sunscreen. There are UV protection shirts out there, especially if you like to go swimming in lakes or in the ocean. It's so much better for the environment than putting on sunscreen.

And if you got the spots and you wear stripes and you want your tiger to change its stripes and even out, there is a thing called Skin Better, Even Tone that slows down the spots and can even them out with a lot of patience and applications.

It's spendy, but it does actually work.

I know with my face, too. I always have to wear glasses when I'm driving and the places where the glasses come in contact with my nose, I get two spots right here and here.

If I rub it there, then the spots go away. But I get a cluster of dark spots. Aquaphor, even Vaseline goes a long way.

Just slather it on before you go to sleep. It's non-commodogenic, it doesn't clog your pores and you will wake up with softer skin.

And that's a lovely thing, right?

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And that's partly because it's like the same way I was extra terrified way back in the day with the Omen movies, Damien, Omen 1 and 2 and things like that.

I think that has something to do with my quasi-Catholic cultural upbringing. They get you scared from a real young age, but of all of that kind of stuff.

But also because we're talking about summoning the spirits, right?

It's like how you don't say “The Scottish Play” in a theater. There's something extra scary about horror movies that relate to that for me. But also, even though I don't usually go see horror movies, I think I'm going to see it because of all the cultural stuff going on.

It reminds me of the writer Nalo Hopkinson. I did an audio book of hers years ago called The New Moon's Arms. She's somebody who has done a masterful job of interweaving the supernatural with real terrors, especially as they relate to being Black.

A lot of her writing has to do with the cultural milieu that Sinners happens in. All of that crossroads lore and all of the real terror of being a Black person in different areas of the world. So there's going to be a lot of lamaze breathing as I watch the movie.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together.

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Sinners is this new horror movie that dropped in 2025, and it’s already getting a ton of buzz. It’s written and directed by Ryan Coogler — you probably know him from Black Panther and Creed.

The story is set in 1930s Mississippi and centers on these twin brothers, Smoke and Stack Moore (both played by Michael B. Jordan, by the way—yes, he plays both roles), who come back home to open a juke joint for the Black community.

But of course, it’s not just a feel-good story. Things get dark fast when a vampire named Remmick shows up and starts messing with their world. The movie blends horror with real social issues—especially racism and cultural identity—which makes it hit way deeper than your average scary movie.

The cast is WOW too. You’ve got: Michael B. Jordan (again, doing double duty), Hailee Steinfeld,

Delroy Lindo, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, and Jack O’Connell as the creepy vampire guy.

It’s got this eerie, supernatural vibe but also feels grounded in real, historical trauma—kind of like what Jordan Peele does, but with a Southern Gothic twist.

Oh, and the music is by Ludwig Göransson (same guy from Black Panther), so the soundtrack goes hard too.

People are saying it’s scary and smart, and it already made like $350 million globally. So yeah, it’s a big hit.

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So when I was a kid, my family would go to the Del Mar Fair.

There was this timeshare and we'd hang out there and we would also go to a place called La Costa. I remember there was a spot under a fence my brother and I would shimmy through (and we'd just be running around the fair all day, just the two of us.

It was the 1970s, so my parents were like, whatever, we think they're over there. Let's go to the races.

I remember that that's what comes to mind right away with La Costa. I remember the pinball machines. They were always playing Blondie and My Sharona and all of that.

But I remember getting accosted in La Costa by the other kids Because gangs of kids just find gangs of other kids. All week long they would say (to me and my brother) you two aren't related (because I’m lighter-skinned and he’s darker-skinned). They just insisted.

My brother and I would go back to our parents and ask ‘We're related, right?’ And they're like, yes, you're related. And we'd come back. Our parents say that we're related.

The whole rigmarole would start all over again, but that's not the only place where that would happen. But that was definitely a place where we were reminded of our uniqueness.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together.

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Because I did dialect coaching for the musical Bruce, which I personally adored.

I don't generally enjoy horror, scary things, but because I got to know so much abou all of the behind-the-scenes stuff going on in Jaws, especially when the production company was trying to shut down production.

This poor actuarial guy goes out there and they are driving him all around Martha's Vineyard, they're pretending to be lost, they give him a bad oyster so he's incapacitated for a few days, they sneak it into some clam chowder. They say, “Oh, we need a battery for this thing.”

We'd show you what we've been working on. But, and you know, the robot, Bruce, that's the nickname for Jaws, it was kaput. And so they needed this time to fix Jaws.

So knowing what I know about it, I enjoy the movie that much more knowing more about the actors and what they went through and how they regarded each other and how those relationships developed over time. I mean, it's really fascinating. So Jaws is my favorite summer movie.

I hope today's conversation got you thinking and thank you for joining me.

I'm Gin Hammond, and I'm Living IncogNegro.

Oh wow, Jaws—what a classic! So it’s this 1975 thriller directed by Steven Spielberg, and honestly, it still holds up. The story takes place in this cozy little beach town called Amity Island, where things go from sunny to terrifying real fast. A young woman is killed by something in the water (spoiler: it’s a shark), and the police chief, Brody, is like, “We need to close the beaches!” But the mayor and local business folks are more worried about losing money during tourist season.

Of course, the shark doesn’t care about the economy—it keeps attacking. So Brody teams up with Hooper, this nerdy but lovable ocean expert, and Quint, a crusty old shark hunter with a serious Captain Ahab vibe. They head out on a boat to kill the great white, and what follows is this slow, suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat ride. The shark itself barely shows up, but when it does—yikes.

And that music? Duuuun dun. Duuuun dun. It’s genius. I love how it builds tension with so little. For anyone into voice or acting, it’s a brilliant lesson in how tone, rhythm, and pacing can carry a story. Just a masterclass in “less is more.”

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together.

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I love George Takei.

And if you are watching and you say, oh, isn't it "Ta-kie"?

I remember watching one of his videos and he says, Takei, it rhymes with gay so that's how I remembered.

I've been a fan from way back, but I think one of the reasons I'm drawn to him, and no matter where you know him from Star Trek or his book or any other thing, he's done a lot of Comic Cons.

He shows up as himself, genuinely. And you know that he has been through a lot. There's another book I want to add to my stack, called "Covering."

It's about all of those little things that we do to go along to get along right. I think the author is Japanese American, and he talks about how his family had to do that.

If you're a new mom at work and you know that there's that "mom tax" where people are expecting you to flake out because now you're a mom. An idea of covering might be not showing a picture of your family, not showing a picture of your baby in order to not have people make assumptions about you.

I heard a wonderful interview with the author. I definitely wanna see it because covering relates to passing, so I'm instantly fascinated.

But hGeorge Takei has had to do a lot of that in his life. And that brings up a question. Is it right that he did that?

He did that for survival.

He has been able to find a place where he's able to seemingly be himself. I think it's that genuineness that resonates,

When you're around somebody who is able to be themselves I think it makes the people around them either feel free in themselves or because they're not, it makes them angry at the person who is free.

I think especially for younger people, remembering and realizing what the stakes were for somebody like him to come out or even talk about how his family wasn't internment camp. You didn't talk about that back in the day.

First of all of that was covered up in so many ways

A lot of the families who were directly affected by that didn't wanna talk about that. It seems like it's only been in the last couple of decades that people are grappling with, it. We had camps in which people d#ed.

We had so much real estate that was straight up stolen.

Right around here in this area there were a lot of strawberry farms that were owned by Japanese families. Families who had been here for generations, their land was straight up stolen.

So many stories around this and I'm so glad that with George Takei's book "They called us Enemy" because of the place he's gotten to socially, he's able to share this story.

He's able to share his own emotional side of the story.

Ethical question. You can drop it in the comments.

If he had not done all of that covering, would he have been able to do this good work now or is it intrinsically bad?

To do all that covering, and then who are we to judge if we're not living in somebody else's shoes? Who has to do that? Let's see what the conversation goes.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together.

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What I could say about Trevor Noah is endless.

First. I love his book, Born A Crime. I can obviously relate to it except his is, even his situation is even way more intense than mine was. So I loved reading about that and how his mother Patricia's love really sustained him and gave him such a huge perspective on life.

A healthy perspective on life that has clearly served him well.

I first became aware of him with The Daily Show, and then when I started watching his standup, wow.

Of course, he's incredibly funny. But he is one of the best dialect technicians I have ever come across. So my appreciation for that is huge.

But the way that he does it shows you that he is really putting himself in within the skin of somebody else and seeing through their eyes.

Some of the bigger, more satirical things like when he is imitating a British colonist or something like that sort of big stuff, if you remember that little bit. And like George Takei, I think people are drawn to him because his true north is set to love.

It's like he couldn't stop loving humans in all their messiness if he tried, and he's seen it all.

His job was to look at the ugliest parts of at least political humanity. And most of the time find the humor.

If there was no humor to be found, he didn't shy away from just putting it out there either.

There's so few people it feels like we can trust anymore and he's one of those people.

If you found out he was doing something nefarious, you'd just be crushed for the year.

It'd be like the end of Game of Thrones. You just I think they need to create a special meditation for this. There were some, by the way, on the app I was checking out. ...if you're favorite character in a TV show dies, they had a special meditation for that because we get attached, don't we?

Especially if we can see ourselves in a character. But I ain't studying him, but I do love how when he pops up on my radar, it seems like nowadays he's he's somehow making a living just hanging out with friends and being himself and being on people's podcasts and just truth telling here and there with love, and that is an example.

I am so grateful that we have in the world, yay Trevor Noah.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together.

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So when Hamilton first came out, it was after the play version of a show that I wrote called Returning The Bones came out and in [my book] Returning The Bones, it's a sort of a historical fiction family thing, I talk about the family lore about being related to Alexander Hamilton.

I'd researched Alexander Hamilton. I went to the big museum thing that they had when he was in New York years ago.

So we still don't know for sure whether or not I'm related to Alexander Hamilton, but because of the family lore, I had done a lot of research, the Alexander Cheral book, which is like this thick, I read the whole thing and I, went to museum exhibits, things like that.

I really admired the confidence, the believing in yourself that he clearly demonstrated.

There's also all this lore about him being mixed too. So that interested me.

That was part of where the beef between him and Aaron Burr had started, saying, oh, you're mixed.

You're a whatever. You're mutt. You're inconsequential.

We don't know yet if that's true, or maybe somebody does actually have the knowledge, but they're not sharing it. It's like the Da Vinci code. But I I was very interested in that possibility.

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And I think that remembering that our neutral when we're babies, when we're very small, it's a place of love.

And it's easy to lose hope with a MAGA person saying, just trying to encourage a framework of love if you are looking at destroying other people as being representative of your "righteousness".

What if you switched out that frame?

What if you were coming from a place of love?

Does this jive or does it not jive?

These are just fundamentals, basics that children tiny children understand. But seems like a few million people need a refresher, so starting there.

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So you know, there's something every day about racism.

One thing that is still reverberating in me right now, however, is a personal relationship I have with somebody who is a darker skinned black woman, and she has basically lost it….

It's very hard to be the sensitive artist that she is and be in this world as a dark-skinned black woman right now.

And so she literally talks about putting her mind someplace else far away.

Checking out that, that sort of thing that, that happens to, like survivors of s#xual ab#se, who disassociate but also. She's lashing out to those closest to her especially if they're lighter skinned.

So it's an ongoing thing that doesn't need to exist purely because of racism.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together.

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It depends on the kind because there's so many different kinds. There's a vast array, right?

There's just feeling like looks were odd when I was a kid. Me being little and held by my dad. I think my dad got a lot of attention, especially when it's just the two of us, right?

So this black man with this little white baby girl, and people are like.

"Does she belong to you?"

But I know that I was protected from a lot of that, but I remember feeling the weirdness, right? But then there were things later on...

There's this social media thing, 4th Freshest McCury.

Interracial family. The youngest daughter, whose nickname is Pudge, came out a recessive gene wonder like me.

I say in the play I mentioned how my brother was called names. I never was. I remember this kid called Kenny, who was a family friend, Kenny, and he called my brother the N word.

I think they were younger than 10. Where did Kenny learn that?

There were talks between the families, summit negotiations, all of that. And I think a mutual non-aggression pact was reached. But it was definitely icky.

It's it's. There are a lot of families out there that have siblings of different skin tones.

Even though I had a lighter skin sibling you might not get those words, you love your sibling and it those poison darts press into your skin as well.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together.

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A moment that I'm really excited about audiences responding to at film festivals and beyond is the moment where I am doing a fake TikTok video dressed up in who knows what ancient clothing. I just kind of pulled down a box of costumes and asked my 14 year old son, "Hey son, you want to do a video of me doing this?"

And I come around the corner and like in this Cleopatra wig.

There's a point that I'm trying to make about how new cultures and communities arise and disappear, right?

When I'm doing a fake TikTok dressed up as an ancient person doing a video about results of their 23andme50bc saying things like, "Oh I thought I was half Phoenician but it turns out I'm Ottoman, and my husband thought he was Macedonian, but he's Hittite.

Just reminding people that through time there have been different groups and different groups, and there are going to be different groups; and those groups were made up of different people.

I always think about the New Eurekans. being one of the current groups that are, that are really coming together as a culture and identity, a language, a genetic makeup, right? And those sorts of things are going to keep happening.

So, yeah, don't stress.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together.

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Something that I've learned about the fans is that they are meticulous in how they are receiving the voices of the characters.

They have to hear the voices so many times that they're hearing those voices when they're not even playing sometimes. And that makes how you approach it very different from say film, TV, things like that, right?

You can't be too musical, for example, because if you're always hearing the same musical pattern over and over again when you're playing, it can get really annoying.

And so if you're an actor, a tip is if the situation allows you to do two takes of the same line.

Something that you can do that's worked for me before is you can do the the take of the line that shows, yeah, I know how to act. I can put a lot of bells and whistles into this thing and the feeling.

And then the second take, and yes, I know that I'm doing this for a video game.

So I'm going to compress all of that, sort of like the compression option in audio software. I'm going to compress all that.

So you know that I'm aware that when we're in session, I can't be going all over the place. I'm going to keep it tight in a way that the players can listen to over and over again and appreciate because they listen to it over and over again, they're going to get the nuance.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together.

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So when somebody comes to me for dialect coaching, whether it's an individual actor or a theater's hiring me or whatever, of course, do a lot of research, as much research as I need to do.

And I chart things out.

I have all of these sheets. that I made but my favorite is what's called the listen for sheet, which was inspired by one of my teachers, Nancy Hofack.

And in the listen for sheet, not only do you get a sense of what's going on with the articulator.

So for example, for much of Southern Ireland, a lot of people have some things in common where the cheeks go in towards the molars and the, the jaw slides forward a little bit and, and your air pressure gets really high things like that.

Right. And when you create the frame the sort of negative space, then you're creating a filter for the sound to to travel through.

And just like when you're holding your body in a, in a certain position, right? Changing those articulators changes. How you feel, it changes your emotional chemistry. So that does so much of the heavy lifting.

But then there are other things, like what's the, the texture, right?

Is it a flutey sound?

I don't even know what that was. Or is it like when you think of the old style, Parisian man? You know all of those kinds of things. Pitch, rate, volume. And then we get back into other things that I really love.

Like our, our gestures. a part of it, right? You can't do an Italian accent without the gestures. It's just but the, the other bit that I enjoy the most is worldview. When you're able to get into you know, these are broad strokes, arguably essentialist, but what, what are some of the primary values in this culture, that culture?

Is it, is it about being in harmony? With the people around you, for example, which might affect the gentleness or the harshness of your voice if harmony is not where it's at. And even gender can really affect how people sound different. Like if we go like real old school Brooklyn, right? The guys, they'd be speaking from the chest, lips forward, et cetera, right?

And, and a lot of the girls would have stinky face.

Even if they're from the same neighborhood. So yeah, that's part of the fun of dialect coaching and trying to break it down and then, then trying to figure out based on your actor's learning style, how best to, to hand it over to them.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together.

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I helped a few people with issues that manifested physically, which is to say they were having issues with either an element of their work or how the piece was being directed, how they were being directed, and very often because of something called the vagus nerve which Ties in very much with all of the vocal mechanisms.

People can have a stiff neck or they start to lose their voices, things like that.

And so when I am able to identify that it's something like that going on, the best thing that I can do as a voice teacher is simply to listen ask some respectful questions and help the performer feel like the power is. More in their hands because they usually feel like power's been taken away from them.

And the, this chakra here, it's the fifth chakra. It's creativity, communication, self-expression.

And when we feel locked down there, a lot of people tend to grind their teeth or start to get TMJ issues.

They start to click, or there's just a lot of what are called hard glottal attacks, things like that. So. It's almost like we're, we're self sabotaging, you know, hurting ourselves when we don't feel like we can open up here.

So the first thing is, the person has to be listened to, that self expression needs to be present in the room before anything else can open up.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together.

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One of the people that I think about most regularly, who's a hero for me. Marian Anderson, the opera singer. First of all, a lot of people told her that, you're black, you can't sing opera. It's just not done. It's a Western European art form and all of that.

And she defied all of that through her art.

And she inspired millions of people, particularly on the day when she was joined by a white ally, Eleanor Roosevelt who quit the D. A. R. (Daughters of the American Revolution) because they would not let Marian Anderson sing in a building that was owned by the D.A. R.

So she was like, “Girlfriend, I've got connections. So let's go to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. I'll get this all set up for you.”

And the crowd was massive.

Eleanor Roosevelt was by Marian Anderson's side as she sang a live radio program. She was able to truly shine in that moment, I suspect also because she knew it was about more than her. This was about everybody. This was about uplifting the spirits of her people.

I'm sure it uplifted the spirits and perhaps changed the minds of people outside of her community. Paul Robeson's one of the other ones. They were contemporaries.

Also Audre Lorde. She says, “When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important, whether or not I'm afraid.”

So I try to keep these inspirations all around me.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together.

Learn more at LivingIncogNegro.com

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Maybe friendships can form individually, and through these conversations, connections, nets, understanding can happen and introspection can happen that leads to moving the needle a little bit on the dial about how people who are mixed are regarded.

I think, especially with the recent election, with all of the garbage that was in the news about, people's negative feelings about Kamala Harris being mixed and saying, Oh, we can't fathom that and we don't want to, right?

I hope that it can progress the conversation because we've only just begun.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together.

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I've been fascinated at how people who self identify as trans also feel like they can really identify with what this is about. So I guess people who feel like their exteriors don't really match their interiors and who want to talk about that.

I think there are delineations within that, right?

So perhaps people who are specifically passing or racially ambiguous might be a good group just to start with.

People who are fans of compassion and really like to think about things and not just complain, but be solution oriented. But since we almost never get to vent, there's room for that too, but I always try to get to “How can we make this better?”

If we stay in one negative place, it becomes a reoccurring internal monologue that helps no one and creates this downward spiral.

I believe in upward spiral, which is a phrase that nobody seems to say. So I want to create an upward spiral with this conversation.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together.

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So for people who are passing, I would like to say,  "Allow yourself to feel different things on different days. Especially because your environment does change and influence how you feel." 

If you want to be in rapport with a group of people who are not feeling like they're in rapport with you, yeah, that hurts.  Allow yourself to feel that feeling.

If you are thinking, “Whoo, good thing I'm passing right now,” there can be a lot of guilt associated with that, but also that can be the reality that is happening in that moment. 

So for an extreme example, Walter White was one of the founding members of the NAACP. There was a lynch mob that came to his town. He was passing. One of the only reasons he survived and didn't get strung up as a child was because he was passing. 

Then he went on to use those incognito superpowers to become an investigative journalist and help the shift of civil rights and go toe to toe with Roosevelt. 

That's a perfectly good example of when you're thinking, “Oh, good thing I was passing. I didn't die”. 

So allow yourself to feel different things, but also know that your environment influences how you feel very much.

Get a sense of how much your messaging is coming from you, whatever your regular internal monologue is, and how much you are taking in from other people. 

Maybe because you want the love to be there, but it's not there, and you're thinking, “Oh, I have to mold myself to fit this environment”, like Cinderella's sister chopping off her foot to fit in the slipper, not a good idea

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together.

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I think the biggest message I wanted audience members to receive from the performance of Living IncogNegro was not to assume that you absolutely know what you're seeing when you see somebody who seems white-ish. There might be a lot more going on under the surface.

I think another thing that I wanted people who saw Living IncogNegro, people who were mixed, to know and feel was that they're not alone and that I'm willing to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune and not be quiet about it anymore.

Get a discussion going, even if it means things get a little turbulent sometimes.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together.

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When white people have quotes and thoughts, share their thoughts and quotes about racism, I think it depends on the track record, right?

Do they have a long history of putting their money where their mouth is?

Do they have a long history of deep engagement?

So for example, I think Melinda Gates does. And she saved a lot of lives.

I think, if you know you've saved a lot of lives, yeah, you can do that. There's an amazing story of two allies Elizabeth Van Lew and Mary Bowser.

Elizabeth Van Lew, her father owned a plantation. As soon as her father died, she went into action. She was already in action as a spy for the union and as soon as her father died, she set people free. She paid them a living wage and she became very good friends with Mary Bowser, who had an eidetic memory.

Long, amazing story short, they did a ton together to turn the tide of the civil war.

It's amazing stories of spy craft and the two of them were in it together. Elizabeth Van Lew died penniless and more or less alone because she had sold everything in support of the cause and support of liberating the enslaved people

Because all the white people around her hated her for working on the side of the union, but she was in it until the end and she was a true ally. So if there were any quotes from her, I've never looked to see if there were any that existed now, but yeah. I think she should be given her due.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together.

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There is a chant that I do, which it's a Sanskrit chant that was taught to me by my black yoga mentor, Regina French, who's now living in India. She is also known as sister Shree and it is a chant that reminds me that we are spiritual beings.

It sounds very West Coast to say that, but it ties me to her, how she went out of what was the norm considering how she grew up as a black American to go fully into yoga before yoga was a thing, right?

To just say, “Hey, wherever I go is where I belong. And I'm going to let my heart follow this thing that I'm passionate about. And I'm going to tell myself. that I belong, right? And I am going to also bring myself to this.

So she has a bunch of CDs. When you hear her singing these Sanskrit chants. I try and do that and take that spiritual moment every day. When I chant, I feel both connected to her and she's, in India still being a yogi, even when she showed up the first time we saw her, she's someplace between 40 and Methuselah.

We have no idea. But it also helps me connect to something more eternal.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together.

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One of the people that I think about most regularly, who's a hero for me. Marian Anderson, the opera singer. First of all, a lot of people told her that, you're black, you can't sing opera. It's just not done. It's a Western European art form and all of that.

And she defied all of that through her art.

And she inspired millions of people, particularly on the day when she was joined by a white ally, Eleanor Roosevelt who quit the D. A. R. (Daughters of the American Revolution) because they would not let Marian Anderson sing in a building that was owned by the D.A. R.

So she was like, “Girlfriend, I've got connections. So let's go to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. I'll get this all set up for you.”

And the crowd was massive.

Eleanor Roosevelt was by Marian Anderson's side as she sang a live radio program. She was able to truly shine in that moment, I suspect also because she knew it was about more than her. This was about everybody. This was about uplifting the spirits of her people.

I'm sure it uplifted the spirits and perhaps changed the minds of people outside of her community. Paul Robeson's one of the other ones. They were contemporaries.

Also Audre Lorde. She says, “When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important, whether or not I'm afraid.”

So I try to keep these inspirations all around me.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together.

Learn more at LivingIncogNegro.com

https://www.tiktok.com/@livingincognegrom

https://www.instagram.com/livingincognegromovie/

https://shows.acast.com/living-incognegro-gin-hammond

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If there is some kind of therapist or counselor present at conversations that mixed people are having around race, both the practical and esoteric elements of that, I hope that the idea of compassion, especially for oneself, is kept top of mind.

Because just like a number of other groups, we get told that you are not enough, that you're funny looking, that you don't belong, things like that.

Things that lots of people are able to relate to.

For people who have internalized those messages, until you have compassion for yourself first, it's hard to have compassion for other people.

So for example, in Living InCognegro, I talk about somebody that I came across who was also living incognegro and I was excited to speak with her.

Her look, her energy was just pushing me away so hard.

As I say in the show, everything she was talking about was just “hashtag blackth*glife”talking about how she can out black anybody when nobody seemed to be challenging her.

The fact of my existence seemed really threatening. Like I could give her away, I don't know.

Here's where I'm making assumptions.

The energy and the looks that I got from her, even though we were basically the same skin tone. I won. And it made me think. I don't think she has a lot of compassion for herself.

That's part one, to check in.

Somebody who's a therapist or counselor is going to be better able to find the language for helping somebody check in and identify where a person is on their individual compassion scale, right?

So that we feel like we can safely open up to each other and not be judged.

Especially if there's just like a micro difference in melanin levels. Silly.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together.

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Different generations respond to the concept of “passing“. I talk about this in Living IncogNegro

Something that the older generations are likely to be aware of, there’s been a shame associated with “passing” that gets stuffed into the next generation and stuffed into the next generation.

So it’s something that hasn’t been able to evolve very much.

A way in which it has evolved over time has to do with leverage and power. So for example, there was something referred to as the “one drop rule”, where if it is surmised that anybody in your family tree could have been black, you were considered black.

There was the same segregation as everybody else during the Jim Crow era.

If you were living in a town where everybody knew who you were, which is why there were people who escaped North, recreated themselves. I’ve heard stories about people whose families said, look, forget us, leave us behind, do not write back and go live a more privileged life. There’s a wonderful book called The Secret Librarian.

It’s the personal librarian to J. P. Morgan, so J. P. Morgan library, J. P. Morgan art collections, things like that. The person who cultivated and curated that was passing and that was a situation where the family said, it’s, do separate yourselves.

And of course, there’s going to be a lot of resentment, right?

On the other hand, if you could pass, there are lots of reasons to argue for that. And as time has changed, you have a lot of people who are passing, who don’t want to pass, in one way or another. They want to be connected.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together.

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So, for example my brother bravely posted something and he said, Hey, if you are afraid of ICE, And you need groceries picked up things like that. Let me know, contact me and I’ll do that, right?

And I talked to somebody who called me from New York and she said I don’t want the Stasi knowing about what I want to do as a result of this message that you reposted from your brother.

But I’m going to talk to people I know about picking up their kids from school. You know, and this way it breaks things down into small doable actions, but you do have to be careful.

So, for example one of the responses to that Facebook post, I couldn’t believe it a person who’s an artist, too.

So I was that much more shocked.

She basically said, oh, where is it? Might have to cut and and come back to this. How do I even find a message?

I don’t even know how to find messages that I’ve posted before. Because most of the time I don’t look back at like what people have commented or anything like that. But this one kept popping up weirdly on my phone.

So I thought, what’s, what’s going on?

Anyway, the person had said Hey, are you sure you want to do that? Because they’re going to be come dr*g dealers and k*dnappers if they stick around in our country and, and all kinds of ugly things like that. It was a real jaw dropper. And I like what one friend of mine did, which was she replied with an article debunking myths about the danger of immigrants. And again, that’s so dumb because this country, aside from the indigenous people who are already here, is made up of immigrants, you know?

So… And it reminded me of the, you know, no, no Jews, no dogs or no Irish or, you know, whatever the group was that was made to be the scapegoat, the villain at that time, most likely for political reasons, right?

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together. Find me on instagram here. 

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Some people are, some people aren’t.

I think on the negative side, it’s become more fractional, more divisive, right?

One phrase that I’m hearing a lot is about white adjacency, right?

So it’s like people are retreating even further back into their caves, their echo chambers. And I get it because there’s, there’s a lot coming, coming at us. but saying, well, you can’t even be white adjacent.

That just seems unrealistic to me.

But it also harkens back to the times in history when black folks have been seeking, or at least in our minds, seeking utopias, right? I mean, they want to think about part of the reason why so many people love what is it? Science fiction, right?

Because it is a world away from here.

At best, I think social media can connect people really quickly and give them a sense of community. I tend to feel wary across the board, right?

Especially because you never know when somebody’s going to turn on a dime.

So I like to get to know people personally, one on one, analog. I am suspicious at all times of social media and where all of these threads And especially if somebody has you know, that cult of personality, right?

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together. Find me on instagram here.  

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That’s so many different stories are are coming to light. Black folks of all hues to I’ve been seeing that more and more and I’ve been appreciating how there are definitely people out there who are trying to step away from the idea of blackness as a monolith.

And it always immediately makes me think of what it was like when I was a kid. And you know, we’d be, you know, listening to the “I Have a Dream” speech together. And I’m thinking of the black and white TV we had on top of the fridge in the kitchen.

And how I always wanted to cry when I heard that and not understanding why. And I think part of it also has to do with what I understand now about how much kids Absorb from their parents without even the parents saying anything.

And I think I was just, especially from my dad, just taking in these waves of emotion. But I was a kid and I didn’t know why.

So every time February rolls around, like it’s my, my feelings stay in this place of heightened tenderness.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together. Find me on instagram here.  

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Something that the older generations are likely to be aware of, there’s been a shame associated with “passing” that gets stuffed into the next generation and stuffed into the next generation. 

So it’s something that hasn’t been able to evolve very much.

A way in which it has evolved over time has to do with leverage and power. So for example, there was something referred to as the “one drop rule”, where if it is surmised that anybody in your family tree could have been black, you were considered black. 

There was the same segregation as everybody else during the Jim Crow era.

If you were living in a town where everybody knew who you were, which is why there were people who escaped North, recreated themselves. I’ve heard stories about people whose families said, look, forget us, leave us behind, do not write back and go live a more privileged life. There’s a wonderful book called The Secret Librarian. 

It’s the personal librarian to J. P. Morgan, so J. P. Morgan library, J. P. Morgan art collections, things like that. The person who cultivated and curated that was passing and that was a situation where the family said, it’s, do separate yourselves.

And of course, there’s going to be a lot of resentment, right? 

On the other hand, if you could pass, there are lots of reasons to argue for that. And as time has changed, you have a lot of people who are passing, who don’t want to pass, in one way or another. They want to be connected.

They’re like, I can’t help how I was born. But then there’s a lot of rejection from the black side. So there’s this middle area that gets really tricky. I’m not saying that everybody on all sides are hateful and full of rejection. Not at all. But those times when it does come up it’s pretty salient and weird.

Like even looking how I look, there have been a couple of times where the parents of somebody white I was dating, they looked at me in a very different way and treated me differently once they found out about the black side of my family.

I don’t have to be as vigilant, obviously, as a lot of my brown skinned brethren. 

But there are things that pop up, or if I’m standing up for somebody where people are like, what gives you the right to tell me not to talk that way? It’s layers and layers and layers.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together. Find me on instagram here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The most surprising feedback I received after performing Living Incognegro was not only were there people who could relate, but there were incognito people in the audience that I couldn’t see.

We were able to find each other and share our stories that we knew that the other person would understand. 

They say that sympathy is having compassion for another person and empathy is being able to really say that you’ve been in that person’s shoes.

When you’re Living IncogNegro, it is hard to find somebody else who’s been in your shoes.

It’s really impossible for so many of us. So to all of a sudden find people who are able to relate to it was extremely moving, and it made me super curious about their stories as well. 

We’re not done with those conversations.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together. Find me on instagram here.  

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I was regularly watching 4 news outlets a day and I would listen to NPR in the morning, check some New York Times highlights. Then for contrast, check out CNN. 

Usually in the afternoon, there would be some BBC, and at night, there’d be some New York Times again.

Then usually some sort of news comedy late night thing also.

And of course, all the texts and things that people send throughout the day. Due to recent events, I decided, you know what, life will keep going if I give myself a break

LOL, that’s what my cat told me anyway, and he’s totally relaxed. He’s fine. 

So I decided there’s an oscillation that happens that keeps us healthy, right? Our eyes blink. Our hearts beat. We’re awake, we’re asleep, we’re exercising, we’re chilling, right? 

Or we’re eating something healthy and then maybe having a martini, right?

This oscillation I realized is something that perhaps I needed with regard to my news diet as well. 

So I slated a time to get re-engaged, but then what was going to be a one week hiatus has turned into a multi week hiatus, which has also helped create a lot of space in my mind so that I could be better at my art as well because the show I’m doing right now is pretty intense.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together. Find me on instagram here.  

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As a performer, it depends. There’s so many different gradations of racism and, some of it, you just flow with it. You don’t have any control over it, which is why you might have to let it go. 

Then there are other times that you speak up, right? 

So with auditioning, people would see me so differently. Two auditions. One, I went to where at the first audition, somebody said,”Oh, you look too girl next door.”

At the second audition, they said, “Oh, you look too exotic.”

And I hadn’t changed my clothes. I hadn’t changed my hair, nothing. 

There is a freedom in knowing that subjectivity is out of your hands. But yeah, I’m not going to lie there, I was super aggravated that day. Before I realized, hey, just let it go and keep persisting, I feel like helplessness is the other side of depression, right?

So it’s hard not to walk into a situation and not feel like I know who I was presenting. 

That’s such a big thing in grad school and undergrad, know your type. Whoa. 

It’s like all of those kinds of adages did not apply to me in a way, and then there would be other things too.  

Maybe there were castmates who thought that I shouldn’t be doing a role that had anything to do with any kind of blackness, even if the role said something about me being light skinned or passing.

But all I can do is show up and do my job because there were people like me in the past that I was representing. These were more historical shows, so somebody’s got to show up for them. 

In “Living IncogNegro”, I talk about how one director, a white American, said that I needed to be blacker in my performance.

That’s always funny, especially coming from a white man. 

I know with a lot of my friends who are black performers, they’re like, Oh, how many times have I gotten the direction? Be sassier. Or be more urban or, it’s just all these kinds of codes that come with being a black performer.

There’s so many more things, but those are the first things that come to mind.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together. Find me on instagram here. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of my favorite moments in theater is when Théâtre de Complicité, a French troupe, were doing a show called Mnemonic in New York City. This is when I was living there. It was such an amazing example of simple storytelling that brought in centuries of context and brought in so many skills that they made it look easy.

There is this simple wooden folding chair and what they did with it was – you could manipulate the chair so that it walked like a human, like a giant puppet – and people were able to make it go over their bodies like a man climbing a mountain, like that dance troupe, Pelopolis, and it was amazing!

Stunning and exquisite in its simplicity!

But also I’m realizing now as I’m thinking, one of the things that it talked about was the origins of humanity and the silliness around the boundaries, because the story had to do with finding one of the first ice men that had been buried in a glacier for centuries.

But you couldn’t say that this person was Russian or Finnish or Swedish or Icelandic, whatever, because that [labelling] didn’t even exist back then, right?

It was just an early human and they were linking that to all of the little gradations that we use today to label and sometimes limit ourselves.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together. Find me on instagram here.  

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So I’m a certified teacher of Fitzmaurice technique voice work, which is a voice modality. That’s taught at all the big schools like NYU and Yale school of drama and internationally too.

One of the things that I’ve found is that a lot of people warm up too much. They’re doing their vocal exercises on the way to their performance. Maybe for an hour or more. What they’re doing is overtaxing their voices before the show even begins.

They do that because they’re trying to regulate their nervous system for the craziness that they’re about to face once they step out on stage or onto the set. 

So save a little for the actual performance.

What are some great cool down exercises?

One of the best cool down exercises you can possibly do is straw foundation. It’s used by a lot of singers and what you do is, you get a thin-ish straw, one of those stirring straws at Starbucks, and you blow into the straw, no air on the other side.

You can do it with just air or you can go up and down a siren. 

It changes the air pressure above and below the vocal folds so it gets a passive stretch and it really helps your vocal folds and the retinoid cartilage and all that stuff just unwind and calm down.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together. Find me on instagram here. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When I started [acting] around junior high, I was so shy and I loved acting because I was able to hide behind it. But then I really started to care about that art form and had the horrible realization that in order to be any good at it, I’d have to do exactly what I was terrified of doing and open my heart.

I hope that as a parent both of my performance and how I parent, I can model that for my son so he can see what kind of a difference it makes so he can be more engaged with life. 

As far as the other way around, there’s a local casting director who says that the actors who come back to audition after they’ve become parents are always better actors because:

1) acting isn’t the most important thing in life.

2) they’ve been dealing with some stuff, so the stakes aren’t as high and they’re able to infuse it with some really powerful, salient feelings that they maybe had to deal

with that morning because somebody was having a tantrum. 

But yeah, it’s real for them. They’re able to breathe through it and bring personalization and realness.

I’m Gin Hammond and I’m Living IncogNegro. I’m glad you’re here and we’re on this journey together. Find me on instagram here.  

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.