Black and Asian Voices and Thinkers

Meet influential Black and Asian thinkers whose ideas bring depth, nuance, and humanity to today’s biggest conversations.

2026-01-02
Black and Asian Voices and Thinkers

Give yourself the gift of broader horizons

In a time when algorithms narrow our view and debates harden into camps, listening to voices outside your own experience is a way of broadening your mind.

Being a white man with predominantly white friends, these thinkers below help me see things in new perspectives.

Adrienne Maree Brown

Writer/organizer; community transformation and 'Emergent Strategy' thinking.

Ai Weiwei

Artist and dissident thinker addressing authoritarianism, freedom of expression, and state power.

Akala

Writer/artist; talks on race, class, history, and education.

Byung-Chul Han

Philosopher known for sharp critiques of neoliberalism, burnout culture, transparency, and digital life.

Cho Nam-Joo

Writer whose work sparked national and global conversations on feminism and gender inequality in South Korea.

DeRay Mckesson

Civil rights activist and organizer; public voice on justice and policy.

Elif Shafak

Novelist and essayist on freedom of speech, belonging, and minority rights.

Ha-Joon Chang

Economist challenging free-market orthodoxy and reshaping debates on development, capitalism, and inequality.

Han Kang

Novelist exploring trauma, silence, violence, and the human body through spare, haunting prose.

Jonathan Capehart

Journalist and political analyst shaping mainstream political discourse.

Ken Liu

Writer and translator bridging Chinese and Western science fiction, philosophy, and future imaginaries.

Min Jin Lee

Novelist examining migration, identity, power, and Korean diaspora history, best known for Pachinko.

Okky Madasari

Indonesian author and sociologist writing on society, power, and freedom.

Raquel Willis

Writer and activist; major voice on trans rights and collective liberation.

Roxane Gay

Writer and cultural critic on feminism, identity, and power.

Salamishah Tillet

Scholar and critic bridging art, culture, and Black feminist politics.

Yuk Hui

Philosopher of technology exploring cosmotechnics, AI, and non-Western approaches to modern technology.

Zuriel Oduwole

Filmmaker and education advocate; youth voice in policy and social impact.