A² is a qualitative inquiry that pushes the bounds of multidisciplinary scholarship through poetics, prose, and academic discourse. Though fairly new, poetic inquiry as a research method has been found in “social science disciplines of psychology, sociology, anthropology, nursing, social work, geography, women’s/feminist studies and education,” (Prendergast, 2009, p. 545). Harnessing this methodology, Dr. Ayo Sekai ventures to push the limits of academic scholarship by interrogating poetic discourse to address stigmas, norms and psycho-cultural perceptions weaponized against Black people through language. Recognizing the usage of language in oppressive systems, A² takes readers on an intellectual journey that harnesses the Black experience through poetically informed research, blending the socio-cultural lens of the spoken word. With a foundation of political science, and Sekai’s unique voice in the field of Linguistic Imperialism, this text provides eye-opening perspectives through its titular scholarly poetical science discourse.

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“Dr. Ayo Sekai uses poetry to reimagine academic scholarship, assert her voice as a linguistic scholar, and reclaim the narrative of her identity and heritage as an Afro-descendant. In doing so, she skillfully positions poetic activism as a potent nexus of art, literature, storytelling, and philosophical expression of societal worldview. This book offers a stimulating and innovative approach to the intellectual renewal and celebration of transcendental Africanity.”
—Mohamed S. Camara, PhD
Professor and Chair, Department of African Studies
Editor-in-Chief, Howard Journal of African Studies
Howard University

“Dr. Sekai pulls from both her acquired academic knowledge and her lived experiences to provide a unique volume of Afrocentric thought and presents a voice that reflects the struggles and concerns throughout the diaspora. She does this while weaving reflective poetry through her content. Dr. Sekai uniquely uses poetry as the political framework of her volume. It is clearly worth reading.”
—Henry T. Frierson, PhD
Professor Emeritus
Past Associate Vice President and Graduate School Dean
College of Education
University of Florida

At 16 years old, Dr. Ayo Sekai penned the poem “South Africa,” poignantly weaving political activism, African consciousness, and the spirit of the ancestors. Her passion for Black people was so evident and powerful that I included it on my CD track “Short Takes,” released in 1992. As a self-trained musician, a bassist who began playing music at 12 years old, I recognized in Dr. Sekai the same defiance that moves me in my music and propels me to play the sounds of the Souls of Black Folk (W. E. B. Du Bois). Watching her evolve into the force of nature she is now is the manifestation of the hope of the slave, passing the torch of liberation and combining the synergies of words, like music notes writing the revolution in scholarship.

—Lonnie Plaxico Bassist
Composer, Producer Double Bass
Bass Guitar
Louis Armstrong Jazz Award
LonniePlaxico.com