Christelyn D. Karazin, Publisher, Editor-in-Chief

Christelyn Denise Karazin is a health, lifestyle, business and education writer for such high-profile publications as Woman’s Day, Better Homes & Gardens, Ebony/Jet.com, Pregnancy Magazine, Reuters News Service and many more.

Prior to magazine writing, she was a public relations professional who specialized in consumer and legal public relations, and represented such clients as Jenny McCarthy and Dr. Jay Gordon in their co-project regarding vaccinations, resulting in a prime placement on Larry King Live Show.  Karazin has over ten years experience placing clients in television, radio, online and print publications, and has an uncanny talent for finding timely news angles to give her clients maximum exposure.

She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications, cum laude, from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.  Karazin is an active member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and lives in Southern California.   She is, most importantly, a mother of four children–three of them biracial–and has been married to her husband, Michael, (who just happens to be white) for (almost) ten happy, hectic years.

Contact Christelyn via email at info@beyondblackwhite.com

Jamila Akil, Senior Editor

Jamila Akil is a 20-something blogger and student living in the Midwest. She covers news, trends, politics, religion, black women’s empowerment, education and technology for Beyond Black & White. Jamila is working towards the completion of a Bachelor of Science in University Studies, a major she self-designed to include coursework across several academic disciplines. Her personal interests include all things related to economics, politics, culture, and linguistics. You can find and friend Jamila on Facebook Feel like kvetching at her directly? She can be emailed at jamilathewriter@gmail.com

Oneika Raymond, Contributor, International Travel

Oneika Raymond is a high school teacher, polyglot, and travel junkie who has traveled to nearly 50 countries on 6 continents. Originally from Canada, she is a serial expat who has lived in France, Mexico, Hong Kong, and is currently living in London, UK. An adventurer who is always in the midst of planning her next trip, Oneika has, amongst other things, trekked in Nepal, sailed in Croatia, and gone on safari in Tanzania. Her travel writing has been featured in number of online publications, including the Huffington Post, BlackAtlas.com and Traveldudes.org. Follow Oneika’s travels around the world at www.oneika-the-traveller.com and on Twitter at @OneikaTraveller.

Dr. Phoenix Austin, Contributor, Natural Hair Care, Women’s Issues

Dr. Phoenyx Austin is a physician, author, writer, media personality and entrepreneur. She earned her Bachelors in Psychology from the University of Florida and a Doctorate in Medicine (MD) from Meharry Medical College. She enjoys writing and speaking on women’s issues and is well known for engaging audiences with a conversational tone and the intellect to back it up. Dr. Phoenyx has been featured in countless publications, natural hair blogs and online magazines such as Essence. She has also been featured on popular syndicated television and radio shows on networks such as ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and Radio One. If you’d like to learn more about Dr. Phoenyx, you can visit her on the web at DrPhoenyx.com.

Dr. Phoenyx is the author of If You Love It, It Will Grow! A Guide To Growing Long Afro-Textured Hair. If you have any questions/comments you can find Dr. Phoenyx on her blog, Facebook and Twitter.

Ricky T., Contributor, Asian Men, Black Women Relationships and Health

 

Born in the wild concrete jungles of Shanghai, Ricky was raised by his fearless grandmother and stoic grandfather. At the tender age of 7, they shipped him to America to join his parents via an airplane.

He loved elementary school and middle school. The kids were fun, the teachers were nice, and those cheeseburgers were delicious. He then played basketball and ran track for his high school in Torrance while juggling academics to please his parents.

After college, he then went on to graduate school at the University of Southern California for Computer Science where he learned to be a shogun of software engineering, a ninja in the art of coding, and a guru in the concepts of software life cycles. After he finished his training, he traveled the world in pursuit of worldly pursuits. Having his wanderlust fulfilled, he met his brown beauty through a mutual friend and they’ve been happily together ever since.

In his spare time, he relaxes by boxing, challenging people to basketball games, pumping iron, and cooking traditional cuisine.

Demita Usher, Contributor, Etiquette and resident Miss Manners

Demita Usher is a writer, blogger and etiquette instructor who has written for Jones, Tightrope, Beauty Come Forth and LA Splash. A vintage enthusiast, she teaches etiquette and social graces in Southern California.

Other contributors:

Bob Wendorf (ChefBob), Food

Lorraine Nowlin (LorMarie), Politics, history, and BWE

Kevin Purcell, Resident humorist

“Friends of Jay”, Movies and media

Abiola Abrams, Sexuality