He is the eldest of four children raised by two Chicago natives and grandson of two sets of migrants from the Deep South. Brought up as a Baptist, he recognizes the significance of the Black church (across denominations) not only as a site of individual spiritual fulfillment but also of collective political resistance, and he considers himself an heir to that rich legacy of radical social transformation underscored by a radical empathy. The ghosts of the Movement, and the belief in a God for the oppressed, thread through his creative work.