My name is Samaiyah Steward and I’m a 27 year old creative from Birmingham, AL. Originally from Jersey City, NJ, I have been a Birmingham resident for fifteen years now, so I like to think of myself as a city girl with a southern twist. In Fall 2014, I graduated from Jacksonville State University with a Bachelors of Science degree, in Biology with a minor in communications. My personal goal is to empower and enlighten black women and men through my passion projects and career as a creative. I am the founder of Books and Brunch, a book club dedicated to being a safe space for black women to come together, have brunch, and connect through books written by black authors. Our goal at Books and Brunch is to learn more about our history and ourselves as black people through books written “for us, by us”. I’ve also recently started my podcast, Candidly YahYah, a podcast where I discuss the black experience, the millennial experience, and the woman experience. On the Candidly YahYah podcast I like to invite my friends on to have conversations that will spark change. I like to end each episode with my motto, “ get knowledge, spread knowledge”, in hopes that I can inspire my listeners to share the knowledge they gain with those around them to generate conversations that will create change. My hope is that through my platforms I can change the way we as black people see ourselves and each other while pursing my passions.