The Future Is Now
I am a futurist. I study tomorrow as much as I study the past. As a Black man writing sci-fantasy, my creativity naturally roots me in Afrofuturism. Looking ahead, I see Black people across the diaspora awakening to our true potential, and to the memory of who we are.
That journey has never been a straight line. It’s a long, winding path. Evan, the protagonist of LUCID, embodies that path. Just as dreams let us shape new worlds each night, we are discovering our power to manifest them in waking life. This is the heartbeat—the “why”—behind the Lucid Futurism® franchise.
When Black Panther hit theaters in 2018, it wasn’t just a movie. It was a cultural shift. For many, it was the first time Afrofuturism stood in the spotlight. But its roots run deeper—through Octavia Butler’s novels, Sun Ra’s cosmic jazz, George Clinton’s mothership funk, Grace Jones’ performance art, and Janelle Monáe’s android epics. Afrofuturism isn’t just art. It’s culture.
Dream, Reality, and Imagination
Every night we dream, whether we remember or not. In those dreams we fly, fear, laugh, cry, and meet both the living and the dead. Modern society dismisses this as unreal, but the Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep remind us: waking life is no more solid than dream life. Both arise from the same mysterious ground.
Afrofuturism resonates with this truth. It knows the “official” dream of the world was written by systems that excluded us. Afrofuturism calls us to wake up, see through illusion, and reshape reality.
Imagination is the essence of Afrofuturism. It guides, protects, heals, empowers, and carries us beyond boundaries once thought unbreakable. From Sun Ra to Octavia Butler and beyond, Afrofuturism will continue to transform reality.
Afrofuturism, Time, and Identity
“You’re so busy ripping and daring kids to shoot ya
According to the Jetsons, there’s no Blacks in the future
You better wake up before you’re in over your head
Tomorrow, you’ll be screaming wake me when I’m dead”
— Masta Ace, Wake Me When I’m Dead (1992)
Masta Ace’s words cut deep, revealing a truth often denied: mainstream sci-fi rarely imagined Black futures.
Afrofuturism flips that script, making sure our presence is seen and felt in every vision of what’s to come.
The Urgency of Now
Afrofuturism bends time. Where the mainstream sees past, present, and future as a straight line, Afrofuturism weaves them together—shattering limits, digging deeper, and rooting us back in the soil. It carries the spirit of Sankofa, reminding us that reaching back to reclaim our history is how we shape the worlds ahead.
As we face the unknown, imagination becomes our flashlight. Its glow sparks ideas, fuels innovation, and lights the way for visionaries bold enough to shape tomorrow.
In an era where AI and quantum computing rewrite reality at lightning speed, Afrofuturism reminds us that the story isn’t fixed. The future is ours to define.
That’s why Afrofuturism matters, now more than ever.
Lucid Dreaming + Afrofuturism
Born from the fusion of lucid dreaming and Afrofuturism, Lucid Futurism® is a call to awaken inside the dream of this world and reclaim authorship of our stories.
Lucid dreaming—the moment you realize you’re dreaming while still in the dream—is more than sleep science. It’s a metaphor for empowerment in waking life, expressed through three truths:
- Lucidity: Awaken within the dream. See reality for what it is.
- Creativity: Imagination is the code that creates the future.
- Malleability: Reality bends. The future is ours to shape.
What’s Next: The Lucid Futurism® Franchise
LUCID was the seed. Now, Lucid Futurism® is the tree that branches into comics, merchandise, and a pilot script.
I’ll be at LA Comic Con from Sept 26–28.
Whether you’re a comic fan, a lucid dreamer, or simply someone who believes in the power of imagination, I invite you to step into the Lucid Futurism® Multiverse.
Because the future is being written right now.
And the only question is: who is holding the pen?