The talented Nadirah Simmons knows how to create social media swagger — she’s the social media manager for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, after all — and she’s been using those skills to construct a growing platform to tell the stories she’s most passionate about.
Simmons describes her personal way of thinking in the tweet below:
if an idea comes to my mind, i have to try it lmao. if not i’ll just spend the rest of my life thinking about it. worst thing i can do is fail, but i’m always going to try.
— nadirah (@hinadirah) April 28, 2022
A self-described “writer and digital content creator committed to preserving Black history, Hip-Hop history, and pop culture,” Simmons founded the The Gumbo in 2018 to celebrate “Black women’s contributions to Hip-Hop” and more.
Despite her work with Colbert, it’s clearly far more than just a side hustle — it’s a passion.
The Gumbo is a vibrant place where you’ll find connections to books like Danyel Smith‘s Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop, Simmons herself doing a deep dive on Missy Elliot and Afrofuturism, or contributors like Njera Perkins considering the ascent of Eve in the culture.
(You’ll also encounter a very chic think-piece on the impact of women’s hip hop fashion by Ramona Roberts, Editor-in-Chief of The Squeeze — and yes it has some amazing pics of Erykah Badu!)
If the article were any newer, it’d feature Megan Thee Stallion too, no doubt. And in case you’ve seen Thee Stallion practicing her singular art of performing, keep reading — The Gumbo wants to know about it.
Yup if you’ve got a piece like one of these in your mind that’s looking for a home, The Gumbo is looking for you too. They just announced a special issue based on The Art of Performance — and they’re offering $175 an article too. Money and influence? You get some of both at The Gumbo. Check it out.
new month, new theme! it’s festival season and with more shows popping up, we felt like it was only right to make may’s theme “the art of the performance.” pic.twitter.com/c4xUfD3ozl
— the gumbo (@thegumbo) April 28, 2022
