and black female authors such as Zora Neale Hurston. Becoming immersed in classic African American books such as The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Manchild in the Promised Land, as well as poets from the Black Arts Movement such as Sonia Sanchez, Nikki Giovanni and Amiri Baraka, he was motivated to become an activist and student leader. He helped to organize support for the anti-apartheid movement, Jesse Jackson's 1988 presidential campaign and voter registration campaigns, and other social justice initiatives. Career Early work Powell began his journalism career while in college as a contributing reporter to the Black American newspaper where he covered stories such as the racially motivated killing of Michael Griffith in Howard Beach, Queens. In 1992, he was an original cast member of The Real World: New York, the first season of the MTV reality television series in which a group of strangers live together for several months. During his stay in The Real World house, Powell sparked controversial discussions with his housemates, raising incendiary issues about racial stereotypes. In episode 11 of The Real World, the MTV production crew followed Powell to the Nuyorican Poet’s Café where he was a regular participant in the open mic Poetry Slam competition, created by the café’s founder, Miguel Algarin. Powell had been presenting his poetry there since 1990 when he first attended an open mic to read a poem called “For Aunt Cathy.” The episode is credited with bringing a national spotlight to the venue and popularizing the concept of a competitive poetry slam. MTV's producers cast Powell as the host of “Straight from the Hood: An MTV News Special Report.” Airing in 1993, it profiled the state of affairs for young people in South Central Los Angeles following the Rodney King verdict and riots. Writing While The Real World was still in production, Powell was tapped to join VIBE magazine, launched under the leadership of Quincy Jones. From 1992-1996, Powell worked as part of the magazine's editorial team. His cover story on the group Naughty-By-Nature appeared in the first issue of the publication. He wrote the magazine’s first profile of Snoop Dogg and went on to report on notable figures in hip hop and black music both in print and on television as host and producer of HBOs “VIBE Five” TV segments. Powell wrote a series of cover stories on rapper Tupac Shakur. Of his relationship with Shakur, Powell