Reader,

I'm thinking about the news of actress Hayden Panettiere's passing. I knew of her music from Disney Channel days, most people know her from Bring It On or Nashville. My favorite song of hers is My Hero is You. In May, she released her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning and shared her story publicly of being a child star and dealing with grief. Her passing is a reminder of something I've often spoken of: Heal, but also don't wait to tell the story. Don't wait to create the thing. Don't wait until everything is perfect to put your work into the world. We don't know how much time we have, but we do have the opportunity to leave a legacy behind that allows people to know us, learn from us, or see life differently

In other news, my life has a rhythm.

I was looking through my Facebook memories, and I started noticing a pattern: I often move—or at least start seriously planning a move—around the middle of August.

I didn’t consciously realize I had a tradition of sorts.

And this year, the pattern continued.

I’ve officially moved to the Hampton Roads area—a region with a rich African American history, a growing creative entrepreneurial community, and some pretty major names connected to it: Pharrell Williams, Missy Elliott, Timbaland, and Pusha T to name a few.

There’s something exciting about exploring a new environment and seeing what stories are already happening around me and ways I can contribute through media, travel, culture, and storytelling.

Whenever I enter a new city, I don’t experience it the same way everyone else does. I’m constantly noticing things and keeping my head on a swivel. The move to Virginia has made me even more curious about some things I’ve been thinking about for a long time:

Can I navigate this space independently? Are there accessible sidewalks? Can I easily find transportation? Is information available in formats I can actually use? Can I hear what’s happening? Are businesses thinking about accessibility before someone has to ask? What about the people I interact with? is it safe for me to advocate for myself? Will there be empathy or ableism? What happens when we start designing environments with disabled people in mind?

Those are the conversations I want to keep having. Now I get to explore that question in a brand-new place. Here’s to new cities, new stories, new communities—and apparently, another August move.

I’m excited to show you what I’m discovering in Hampton Roads. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll make it to the two-year mark this time. Honestly, discovering what’s accessible—and what isn’t—has reminded me why the work I do matters.

Accessibility isn’t simply about making accommodations for people with disabilities. It’s about asking better questions before people arrive. It’s about designing experiences with more people in mind from the beginning. That connects directly to so much of what I’ve been working on this year.

I’m continuing to advocate for accessibility through the SXSW panel I submitted:

“Who Gets Seen? Building Accessible Media, Events & Experiences.”

Community voting is happening now. Voting for SXSW 2027 closes August 23. If you haven’t voted yet, I’d be incredibly grateful for your support. It's about who gets designed out of media, events, and experiences when accessibility is treated as an afterthought. It takes two minutes to create a free account to click the heart to vote, no purchase or badge required.

​VOTE FOR MY SXSW PANEL HERE​

With gratitude,

Zaakirah

P.S. — Speaking of new places… 🇬🇭

I’m taking a group of 11 to Ghana March 1–10, 2027, to celebrate Ghana’s 70th Independence Anniversary.

If you’ve been thinking about visiting Ghana, and experiencing a cultural homecoming, this is the time to experience it. I would love to see you in Ghana.

[EXPLORE THE GHANA 70 HERITAGE EXPERIENCE​