Consciousness Magazine

Maurice G. Smith: A Man of Integrity Interviewed and Written by Aaron Robinson – Editor During a recent interview, I had the opportunity to speak with veteran actor Maurice G. Smith, a man filled with life, wisdom, love and lots of laughter. Many may know Smith as the character Reggie Brooks of “Meet the Browns.” In real-life he is one of the most humble down-to-earth individual’s - I have come to know. It was destined that he would find his calling as an actor. “ I started off as a musician. I love music. I saw what music did to a crowd. I was always performing in things. In the Boy Scouts we had to do skits. I remember I was thinking that I was going to be a stand-up comedian. I was inspired by Spike Lee. I was like ‘man, I want to be Spike Lee, I want to be an actor and director.’ I had a cousin who had all these books and got me into reading books a lot. When I would see a movie “Jaws” or “The Shining”, my cousin, she had the books and I would read the book afterwards and my ...

NBA Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins Educate the Masses about Diabetes Interviewed and written by Aaron Robinson – Editor   As the statue of NBA legend Dominique Wilkins stands tall in the main entrance of the Philips Arena, the Hall of Famer continues to stand tall and leap high with his calling to educate the masses that are affected with the disease we recognize as diabetes. Shortly after his astonishing NBA career, Wilkins was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and since then has been raising awareness in various communities. He has teamed up with the world’s leading diabetes care company, Novo Nordisk, to educate those living with diabetes about the importance of diabetes management and creating a Diabetes Dream Team . Within his countless community efforts, Wilkins also works closely with the Center for Health Transformation, JDRF, and his foundation, The Dominique Wilkins Foundation where he is active with local and national charity endeavors when it comes...

Consciousness Magazine – Q&A with stand-up Comedian Jen Kirkman This Saturday, April 23 rd , join The New York Times best-selling author and stand-up comedian Jen Kirkman in Chicago for a special book release show Jen Kirkman: “I know What I’m Doing and Other Lies I Tell Myself” She will be performing at Thalia Hall ( 1227 W 18th St .). Doors open at 7:00pm; ages 17 and over. Unlike a typical stand-up show - this is a night of funny, personal, and cringe-worthy stories told by Jen - aka “dispatches from a life under construction”.  Tales of an awkward kid, teen, young and now….the technically an adult Jen.  Stories that aren’t in the book. Then a reading from the book and a Q&A after!  Ask anything! Except don’t ask what the meaning of life is - Jen knows but she’s not gonna tell you.  You figure it out. **books will be for sale at the show** And after every show Jen will sign books. H ere is what Jen Kirkman has to share with the readers: Q: Je...

Horror/comedy film Meet The Blacks An interview with Deon Taylor, Gary Owen, King Bach and Lil Duval By Consciousness Magazine In the new film “Meet the Blacks”, Carl Black ( Mike Epps ) family inherits one million dollars and moves to Beverly Hills for a better life. Unfortunately, the night that they make their move, they are not aware that it’s annual purge night. Consciousness Magazine had the opportunity to speak with writer, director, and producer Deon Taylor, actor/comedian Gary Owen ( Stranger ) , online sensation King Bach ( Freezee) , and comedian Lil Duval ( Cronut) of the new horror/comedy film that is currently playing in movie theaters worldwide. Here is what they had to share regarding the film. As the director and co writer of this film, where did you get the idea for “Meet the Blacks”? Deon Taylor: If you know me, I’m really really into horror. I was absolutely nuts over the Purge franchise when it first dropped. I thought it would be funny if we h...

Jermikko Shoshanna Q&A Interviewed and written by Darnell Jordan   This month I had the pleasure of interviewing award-winning fashion designer Jermikko Shoshanna Taliaferro Johnson. Her line, Jermikko, has been a staple in the fashion industry for over 40 years. Her clothing was most recently featured in Spike Lee’s feature film, Chiraq. We met at Chicago’s Raddison Blu Hotel and discussed her inspiring past, successful present, and even brighter future.   Q: Where were you born and raised? A: I was born in Chicago, IL and lived between New Orleans and Tallulah, Louisiana until returning to Chicago at the age of 10. I remember when we came back to Chicago. I was so excited to have an inside bathroom with plumbing, and electricity. All day I turned the lights on and off and flushed the toilet LOL! I was amazed!   Q: Is there any significance behind your name? A: Nope, that’s just what my mamma and my daddy named me. I just wanted to know why ever...