‘WHERE MY LIFE STARTED’
PROFILE
In 2016, African American artist Sonya Renee Taylor decided to move here from California to avoid Donald Trump’s imminent presidency. As a result, Aotearoa gained a renowned black lesbian poet, activist and New York Times bestselling author. An influential social-media figure, the
45-year-old tells stories with conviction and is passionate about the many causes she champions, such as body empowerment and racial equality. Taylor now has permanent residency, and it’s clear her loss to the US is a gain for New Zealand’s arts scene.
“It was clear LA had a specific place for fat, dark-skinned black girls. That’s all they would let me be.”
“The 2016 US election was getting ready to
