Kevin Powell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kevin Powell
Born	(1966-04-24) April 24, 1966 (age 59) Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Rutgers University
Occupation	Political activist, writer, reality television personality
Spouse(s)	Jinah Parker ​ ​ (m. 2017; div. 2020)​

Kevin Powell (born April 24, 1966) is an American writer, activist, and television personality. He has written 14 books, including The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy's Journey into Manhood. His book When We Free the World was published in 2020.

Powell was a senior writer for Vibe magazine from 1992 to 1996, when the magazine first started. He is known for his work to end poverty and for social justice. He also works to stop violence against women and girls through different projects. In 2008 and 2010, he ran for the United States House of Representatives in Brooklyn, New York, as a Democrat.

Powell helped create the first exhibit about the history of hip-hop music in America. This exhibit was at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. In 2014, the Welsh Government invited him to the United Kingdom. He gave talks and workshops for the 100th birthday of the poet Dylan Thomas. Because of this, he was named the International Ambassador for the Dylan Thomas Centennial in America. Cornell University keeps The Kevin Powell Archive, which has his writings, photos, videos, and other items. This collection starts with his appearance on the first reality TV show, MTV's The Real World: New York in 1992.

Kevin Powell's Early Life and Learning

Kevin Powell was born and grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey. His parents moved there from South Carolina. His father left, so his mother raised him alone. They lived in a small apartment with his aunt and cousin. Even though his childhood was difficult, Kevin loved to read. He spent many hours at the public library. He says his mother made sure he got a good education.

In 1984, Kevin was the first in his family to graduate from high school. He then went to Rutgers University. He joined a program called the Educational Opportunity Fund. This program helps young people from low-income families go to college. His memoir, The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy's Journey into Manhood, tells the story of his early life.

At Rutgers, Powell studied political science, English, and philosophy. He wanted to become a professional writer. His professor, Cheryl Wall, taught him about writers from the Harlem Renaissance. These included Richard Wright, Langston Hughes, and Zora Neal Hurston. He also read classic African American books like The Autobiography of Malcolm X. These books and poets like Sonia Sanchez inspired him to become an activist and student leader. He helped organize support for the anti-apartheid movement. He also worked on Jesse Jackson's 1988 presidential campaign and voter registration drives.

Kevin Powell's Career Journey

Starting His Career

Powell began his journalism career while in college. He wrote for the Black American newspaper. He covered important stories, such as a racially motivated incident in Howard Beach, Queens. In 1992, he was one of the first cast members on The Real World: New York. This was the first season of the MTV reality TV show. On the show, a group of strangers live together for several months.

During his time on The Real World, Powell discussed important topics with his housemates. He talked about issues like racial stereotypes. In one episode, MTV followed Powell to the Nuyorican Poets Café. He often performed his poetry there. He had been reading his poems there since 1990. This episode helped make the café and competitive poetry slams famous across the country. In 1993, MTV chose Powell to host a special report called “Straight from the Hood.” This show looked at the lives of young people in South Central Los Angeles after the Rodney King verdict and riots.

Writing and Books

While The Real World was still being filmed, Powell joined VIBE magazine. Quincy Jones started the magazine. From 1992 to 1996, Powell was part of the magazine's writing team. His story about the group Naughty-By-Nature was in the very first issue. He also wrote the magazine's first story about Snoop Dogg. He reported on many famous hip hop and black music artists. He also hosted and produced HBO's “VIBE Five” TV segments.

Powell wrote several cover stories about the rapper Tupac Shakur. Tupac told Powell that he wanted him to be like Alex Haley (who wrote "Roots") to his Malcolm X. Tupac felt he had a short time to live. Powell's first VIBE cover story on Shakur was in 1994, titled "Is Tupac Crazy or Just Misunderstood?" His 1995 story, "Ready to Live," was a bestseller. He interviewed Shakur while he was in a difficult situation. His last story before Tupac's death was in 1996, called “Live From Death Row.”

Powell has also written for many other well-known publications. These include Esquire, Newsweek, The Washington Post, Essence, Rolling Stone, New York Amsterdam News, Ebony, TIME, and The New York Times. His articles often connect modern pop culture with the history of black artists and writers. For example, he wrote "Black Music's Bosses, Legends and Game Changers" for Ebony. He also wrote about comedian Dave Chappelle's return to the public eye in 2006.

Powell has also written about his own life. He wrote "Letter to my Father" and "Me and Muhammed Ali." He also wrote "The Sexist in Me." This piece marked the start of his work to redefine black manhood and support women and girls.

Since 1992, Powell has written 14 books. His first book, In the Tradition: An Anthology of Young Black Writers, was co-edited with Ras Baraka. It was seen as a new movement in black consciousness. More than 50 writers contributed to the book. His second book, recognize, was his first collection of poetry, published in 1995. In 1997, he released Keepin' it Real: Post MTV Reflections on Race, Sex and Politics. This was his first full book of essays.

In 2000, Powell edited Step into A World: A Global Anthology of the New Black Literature. This book has work from over 100 writers. In 2002, Powell edited Who Shot Ya?: Three Decades of Hip Hop Photography. This was the first major photo history of hip-hop culture. It featured over 200 photos by Ernie Paniccioli.

He then wrote several essay and poetry collections. These include Who's Gonna Take The Weight? Manhood, Race, and Power in America (2002), Someday We'll All Be Free (2006), and No Sleep Till Brooklyn, New and Selected Poems (2008). His 2008 book, The Black Male Handbook: A Blueprint for Life, discussed important topics for black men. It also talked about ending violence against women and girls.

In 2009, after George W. Bush's presidency, Powell wrote Open Letters to America. This book of essays looked at America during Barack Obama's time. It questioned how long a truly diverse political group could last.

In 2015, Powell released his memoir, The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy's Journey into Manhood. Kirkus Reviews called it a "powerful and unsparing" story. They said it showed not only one man's life but also how American society is still affected by a sad history of racism.

In 2018, he published My Mother, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and The Last Stand of the Angry White Man. In this book, he looks at major issues of our time. He challenges society to care more about problems facing Black America. He also looks closely at himself. The Washington Post noted his journey from a difficult past to becoming an understanding man. He learned from reading feminist writers and talking with other men. He also had many hours of therapy. He continues to grow and learn.

In 2020, Powell released When We Free the World as an Apple Books e-book. He wanted to avoid unfair publishing contracts that had kept him from earning money from his previous books.

Powell also put together a collection of essays, blogs, poetry, and journal entries. This book is called 2020: The Year that Changed America. It was published as an e-book in January 2021. The book is dedicated to Miguel Algarín, who founded the Nuyorican Poets Café. It also honors victims and survivors of COVID-19 and essential workers. Money from the book goes to a youth writing program called Urban World NYC.

In 2022, Powell published a poetry book called Grocery Shopping with My Mother. He talked about the book and his family history on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition in December of that year.

The album version of Grocery Shopping with My Mother was nominated for a 2024 GRAMMY Award. It was nominated for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album.

Working for Change: Social Activism

BlackPlanet, an African-American social networking site, featured Powell in February 2011. They called him "Riser of the Month" for his support of the African-American community.

Running for Office

In 2006, Powell first tried to win a seat in Congress. He ran against Edolphus Towns in New York's 10th congressional district in Brooklyn. He stopped his campaign in July of that year. In 2008, Powell ran for Congress again. His campaign was supported by people like Chris Rock. ABC News said he had "big names from Brooklyn's 10th district" backing him.

During the campaign, Towns often mentioned Powell's past. Powell addressed this in an open letter to Ed Towns. He asked Towns to focus on important issues. In a June 2008 interview, Powell said that his past issues happened many years ago. He also said he had written about them openly. He believes that public servants should be honest about everything they do.

Powell lost this election, getting 11,046 votes compared to 22,586 for Edolphus Towns. Powell announced he would run again in 2010. He lost again in 2010. Later, he decided not to run in 2012.