While the topics of Race and Racism are not comfortable, they are necessary topics of discussion and reflection if we hope to move forward as a society. Through her work, Diarra Kilpatrick gives us unique opportunity to confront these topics in the middle of our entertainment.

Surely one of THE voices of her generation, Diarra's message of unity through diversity can be a beacon for all those of us who hope and work for racial justice especially.

Continue to view and share American Koko, and please share your thoughts on the show and Diarra's work in general at Inclusivus.org

A native Detroiter, Diarra Kilpatrick is an accomplished actress, writer and producer who is finally beginning to get her due from mainstream audiences and outlets. In this first episode of Season Two of The Get InPowered Podcast, Diarra discusses how the "business" of show stood in her way to success, as she hungered for meatier roles, more challenging work and a truer artistic expression.

So she did it herself.

"I just asked myself, what if Scandal lost its budget?"

From the creation of American Koko as a "bootleg" version of "Scandal without a budget," to the launch of her new pilot, The Climb (available for viewing and voting on Amazon as of December 2017), Diarra shares her story of InPowerment and artistic growth, as well as her unique take on race relations and the current racial climate in America.

Don’t forget to let us know what YOU think of The Climb, American Koko and our conversation with Diarra by emailing us at mailto:judithe@inclusivus.org. We’ll share your feedback and thoughts in the next episode of The Get InPowered Podcast.

Don't forget to https://www.amazon.com/Repultrigue/dp/B074T4PSGT/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1512483432&sr=8-1&keywords=the+climb, and check out the first two seasons of http://abc.go.com/shows/american-koko.