The Closet Unlocked

Darius Caffey: Celebrating Accomplishments, A Moment of Reflection

We're kicking off our first Black & Queer At The Table interview this season with Founder, and Creator, Darius Caffey. He shares some highlights about what has been going on in his life over the last year and finally gives himself some well-deserved credit as he reflects on things he's achieved so far.

The interview touches on overcoming mindsets, accomplishing long-term goals, dealing with stress, figuring out life's purpose, and much more.

We're sure that you're going to keep watching to get all the details, but if you also want to read the follow-up article, check it out here: 

https://medium.com/@dariuscaffey/b&q-dariuscaffey-8718317f88ec

Guest Socials: @DCaffGotEm

Featured Story by Vick

- Conversation topics include LGBTQ+ youth, Human Rights Campaign (HRC), managing mental health, etc.

#ClosetMoments are experiences shared by individuals from the Black, LGBTQ+ community through therapeutic outlets, to show others that they're not alone in their own life journey.

This initiative is used to turn a narrative analysis of anonymously collected qualitative data into anthology-style nonfiction stories to assess long-term Queer belonging in Black spaces.

Full Article: https://medium.com/@dariuscaffey/vick-e5aef6614aed 

Full Video: https://youtu.be/EgH427SFxOA

Resources:

John Holiday: Giving Himself Permission to Live & Love

Founder, Darius Caffey, gets the opportunity to chat with Countertenor, John Holiday, about his own personal journey growing into the musical artist that he is today. 

Holiday has continued to share his light and his love with the world through the gift of music. Starting as a child, the artist quickly grew to become a perpetual student of the art. Whether it was with the youth choir, his studies in vocal performance, or his further experience in Opera beginning at Julliard, he uses those experiences to better himself. He then shares that same knowledge with his students in Appleton, Wisconsin at the Lawrence University Music Conservatory -- even if that means hosting virtual lessons while he was appearing on NBC's hit TV show, The Voice. 

More recent news -- John just recently released a new single titled 'Waste Mine". In the interview, the artist shares more details about the inception of the song. He explains how this (along with other upcoming projects) is going to provide Black and Queer people with more imagery of the fairytale love stories they've historically never seen before. 

John Holiday learned from the greats -- Nina Simone, Maya Angelou, and Oprah Winfrey -- that the greatest stories that you can ever tell, start with love. So, in everything that he does, and with his platform, John wants to share that love with his people. He wants to be able to uplift his community in many ways that help shift the culture in a more positive light. 

And he doesn't want to ask permission to do so. 

Da'Shaun Harrison: The Literary Voice To Be Reckoned With

🚨 SPECIAL OFFER ON 'BELLY OF THE BEAST' 🚨 BELOW ↓

During this interview, Darius Caffey (he/him) takes a moment to chat with the Atlanta-based community organizer, abolitionist, public speaker, and writer: Da'Shaun Harrison (they/them). Together, they discuss the details of Harrison's debut book, Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness, and their creative journey with finding a voice in writing. 

They currently serve as Managing Editor at Wear Your Voice magazine, part of the #InTheMiddle podcast, and speaks across the nation (and abroad) on topics such as Blackness, Queerness, Class, Disabilities, Fatness, and the intersections of them all. You can also catch them on platforms such as Good Morning LA, Buzzfeed, BET, Black Youth Project, and others. 

Da'Shaun tells us all about the roller coaster ride to landing the book deal and navigating through lived experiences to finally finding the words to write it. They bring together the intersections of gender, sexuality, race, healthcare, politics, violence, and a plethora of other identities to tell the story of what reality looks like for Black,  Black Fat, and Black, Fat Trans people. 

Later down the timeline, they explain more about their experience as a student at Morehouse College, how they've found confidence in being their authentic self, what makes them feel the most comfortable (or like Beyoncé), while also giving some good advice as a storyteller: to find our own voice.

As the book has quickly become the talk of the town, we're excited to finally share it!

Leon Waldo: Pushing Musical Boundaries by Embracing Queer Culture

Founder of The Closet Unlocked, Darius Caffey, interviews LA-based singer, songwriter, and producer, Leon Waldo. They discuss his experience with making music the way that he wants to, the details of his latest album (Queerwave), and how embracing his queerness has led him to newfound freedom of self-expression.

Leon explains that growing up in the choir and with music has been exactly what he needed to find his purpose. It gave him an outlet to grow as an artist and helped him find a place where he truly felt like he belonged.

As a Black, Gay man performing in the realm of pop, R&B, rap, African music, and dance, he’s pushing not only himself, but the culture to be more diverse. And he does it flawlessly.

By performing in clubs at a young age, learning how to play the piano, and creating his own record company (Waldo Warehouse, LLC), he has used his talents and Berklee College of Music experience to further his career.

In his recent songs ‘Just Say It’, ‘Heaven’, and ‘Hometown Stranger’ off of the project, he brings more culture and positive energy back into the world amidst the pandemic.

Towards the end of the interview, Leon shares the moments and memorabilia that have made him feel the most comfortable over time. This included an inspirational conversation with his high school theatre teacher, an oversized Stranger Things sweatshirt, and glasses that always boost his confidence.

He also mentions that he will be recording live performances of the album for fans to watch while we await a formal tour.

We're sure that you're going to keep watching, but if you also want to read the follow-up article, check it out here: