Rising photographer Tyler Mitchell captures models Sabah Koj, Thais Borges, and Ugbad Abdi in ‘A Courtly Dance in Triple Metre, styled by Robbie Spencer for AnOther Magazine’s Spring/Summer 2019 issue.

Ugbad Abdi (l), Thais Borges (c), and Sabah Koj (r)

The marvelously creative editorial — LOVE the veiled shot of Sabah and Ugbad! — brings to mind the art of Nigerian-born, Alabama-raised Toyin Ojih Odutola, who mounted a solo show 'To Wander Determined' at the Whitney Museum in New York in October 2017.

I was very involved as the ‘Yankee’ working to elect Doug Jones as Democratic Senator from Alabama in November 2017. Most Americans don’t know that Jones — who is white and stands for re-election in 2020 — won justice for four young girls who died in the famous Birmingham church bombing during America’s civil rights movements.

Having shared much enthusiasm around the epic proliferation of models of color in our industry, especially from (South) Sudan, where I have deep activist roots, AOC hasn’t done enough recently to highlight the enormous cultural forces at play in America.

Artists are in the vangaard of articulating this new vision for America — one under assault this very moment, with Trump grabbing authoritarian powers to build his wall in Mexico, citing an alleged national emergency, when there is NO national emergency!

The emergency order is headed immediately to the US court system, where it will most likely be overturned. After months of tears around Trump, I’ve actually reached a positive place of defiance against the raging culture war operating out in the open now in my country.

The highly imperfect, yet noble American experiment is at a true crossroads under Trump. The battle is fierce and bloody, but there is a potential for a huge new vision of the ultimate social experiment if we are smart and dedicated. I tire of America callings itself the greatest country on earth, when every great civilization or nation is always eclipsed by another.

Still, America has a chance to prove itself in an incredible new way as a vibrant, non-white majority country led by a rainbow coalition of politicos and citizens truly committed to proving that such an important nation as America is finally achieving an identity truly reflective of our founding roots. The past has been painful beyond words for peoples of color and indigenous peoples living in North America when white Europeans arrived. Can we demonstrate that this coalition of citizens can live, breathe and succeed together? That is an ambitious goal, but one worth embracing imo. ~ Anne