As many of you know, I lost my paternal grandmother last Thursday to a long and brave battle with Parkinson's disease. She was my first creative muse and one of the safest and most nurturing people in my life as a child. I recorded this video today that is, as usual, being suppressed like crazy due to a dip in my online activity over the past week, as well as the mention of Black History Month and a gathering I'm not paying LinkedIn a cut of. I'd appreciate if you'd go give it a listen and some engagement. All of this said, the webinars are on for this week, February 24-25-26 at 3:30pm Central US/10:30pm Central Europe. If you have not yet registered, you may do so at this link. Replay available for all registered attendees. Contributions over the suggested add seats to our community sponsorship pool. Global Black community members, your seat is on us—please DM me your email address to be registered. For non-Black people experiencing financial difficulty, a limited number of community pool seats are available. Please DM me ASAP to claim one, no questions asked. These webinars will much more off-the-cuff than I'm used to. There won't be a lot of bells and whistles. But I think it's important to still show up for the community and for myself this week. I'd love for you to do the same. See you there. 🤍

Sharing this post here with an ask: Sharing this with an ask to all who see this: react, comment and share this post. Taj M. Smith is a truly great human. Thanking you all in advance for your support For folks in countries where Venmo and Cashapp are not available, here is Taj's PayPal : @tajdor https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tajmsmith_donate-to-help-a-black-healer-heal-organized-activity-7429716842342072320-2zcx?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAADMcucBSKN6zuQruDb0nk67IiKCY3EEu2A

People shouldn’t have to die in order for you to take your role in society seriously. This is why I’ve decided that The Accomplice Accelerator Webinar Series is coming back, something so many of you have been asking for more of in the past few months. For the new folks that don’t know, this community used to host post-session discussions following our webinar series that started in August 2024 and paused after The Future of DEI Virtual Summit in May 2025. It’s a terrible time for me personally, but frankly… It’s gonna be a terrible time for ALL OF US if we don’t start matching all this performative energy with changed behavior in 2026. All I’m asking is that you show up. Are you in or out?

Hi, collective! Just sliding in with a very quick note to let you all know that due to a family emergency, the US BHM Centennial Celebration webinars have been moved by one week to February 24-26. I got the call last week that my paternal grandmother’s health took a sharp decline, and it was looking to be definitive. After a few days of deliberation, I landed in Chicago yesterday to join my dad and his siblings to say goodbye. I wasn’t sure if I should make such a long trip for such a short time, but ultimately I’m glad I did. When I arrived, she was half conscious but awake. When I sat down at her bedside, her eyes opened wide and her face quivered into a fragile but visibly elated smile. I squeezed her frail hand, concentrating on one finger at a time. She nudged back almost every time, still seemingly in disbelief that I was in front of her having just called her from Barcelona. I played for her and sang to her one last time, alternating improv and a few of my favorite spirituals. After one or two more gentle squeezes to let me know she heard me, she slipped back into the “in between” and fell asleep shortly afterward. I made it just in time. She hasn’t opened her eyes again since. I’m glad she waited for me. 💛 This experience—a first for me this close up—has been a timely reminder that Black History is past, present AND future. It is in the books we read, the ground we walk on, and the pictures that remind us of the steps taken before us. It is as big as the historical figures whose names are known and celebrated, or as intimate as the family photo albums of everyday revolutionaries we have been so fortunate to share space and time with. Next week’s energy will be about so much more than sociopolitical milestones and famous names. It is a gathering to joyfully celebrate all the ways in which the Black community has persevered, survived, and even managed to thrive in spite of it all. I hope that with the extra week to prepare, you’ll continue spreading the word and block off that time to be in community with us. 💛

The Accomplice Accelerator Webinar Series is officially back. On February 17, 18 and 19, we're doing this one as big as we can with a 3-part Centennial Celebration in honor of 100 years of US Black History Month. ➡️ Click here to pay what you can and secure your spot. ⬅️ This both is a CELEBRATION and a CALL-TO-ACTION. If you are ready to: ✅ Witness and honor our history with dignity ✅ Learn how to mobilize your privilege for good ✅ Understand how to process guilt without performance ✅ Strategize on how to be a better bystander in this socio-political climate ✅ Speak truth to power in the spaces where you hold power and privilege—including at home ...Then you need to be in this room. 👏🏾 Suggested contribution: $26 USD (enter your own amount from $10 USD to $10K USD) Global Black Community: your seat is on us. 🖤 Please DM me to reserve your spot —OR— you may pay it forward to a non-Black aspiring accomplice that is ready to be part of these important conversations! If you'd like to share information with someone outside of this community, please copy this link of the email blast that went out to our general mailing list yesterday. All links are included. Looking forward to seeing everyone and PLEASE help us spread the word. Let the countdown begin!