BLACK COMMUNITY’S GUIDE TO USING A.I. :
a Free In-Person Workshop w/Bro. Joel Mackall
You are warmly invited to join our FREE live and in-person talk regarding Artificial Intelligence Tools. Our main assignment: learning how to ASK A GOOD QUESTION to help Our community, Our organizations' work and Our business designs/ideas. You do not want to miss this conversation with Bro. Joel Mackall. No tech skills required. Come lift educational vibes in Our community. Sign up below (limited to 25 seats).
When: 5:30pm, WED. June 11th
Where: Nubian Markets (Gathering Room), 2565 Washington St, Roxbury.
Links: #reidrenliveteachin #blackgenerativelearningsystems #blackgen
SIGN UP HERE (25-seat max):
Black Generative Learning Systems
BLACK GEN PROGRAMS / DESIGN
We build with & serve Black folks who are looking to explore new language and machine models (like ChatGPT) for deep black use. What do you need to ask a good good good question? If you are working up a new business idea, a social media product, or a creative project, we offer So Dayi (clear vision) that fully taps into your unique in-born creativity, to design and build what you need. Our Workshops include:
AI101 “Ask a Good Question: Black Context and the Shape and Craft of AI in Black Community Work”
This introductory session grounds participants in the history, language, and uses of AI through a Black lens. We'll explore the basics — what AI is, how it works, and why it matters — with attention to our traditions of inquiry, adaptation, improvisation, and context. Participants will learn how to craft their first prompts, practice using them for real-world needs, and understand how tools like LLMs and image generators are shaping today’s tech landscape. We’ll focus on staying rooted in Black thought, Black context, and the art of asking a good question.
AI201 “Leading with AI: Smarter Tools for Black Work and Vision”
This session is for those ready to move beyond the basics and start building with AI. We'll explore tools like Google NotebookLM, Google AI Studio, and GPT automations to help creatives, educators, organizers, and entrepreneurs streamline their work. From bots to workflows, no-code to light-code builds, you’ll practice prompt design at a higher level while connecting AI to your mission, message, and systems. This workshop is where vision meets technique.
AI301 “Long AI and the Black Community: Futures and Frameworks"
This culminating session looks forward — and inward. What kind of futures are we shaping with AI? What Black traditions/frameworks do we carry that help us design something better? Rooted in Afro-Futurity, intergenerational knowledge, and Black cognitive and physical labor, this think-build-based workshop invites deep reflection on how AI intersects with our memory, power, imagination, and survival. You’ll leave with AfroImaginaria: frameworks for technological, economic, and creative possibility that call on African and African Diasporan people to shape what comes next.
Other Workshops
ONS (Our Next Skills) - Young Adulting Decolonized
Ankobia6 - African-American Genealogy 101
400 Years of Hidden History of Black Boston
Design for Black Owned-Black Operated (d.BOBO)
TECH / BUSINESS / ORGANIZATION RESOURCES
Black Generative Learning Systems was launched in 2022 with the purchase of www.askagoodquestion.com domain. We have instagram, facebook, youtube and twitter bookmarks of some of the most important thought leaders in emerging machine learning. Here are some of the most transparent and regular worth following as of early 2025:
Mahdi Woodard https://100kcampaign.com @mahdiwoodard (Business/AI leader strategies)
Chris Do @chrisdo https://thefutur.com/people/chris-do (Business startup for creatives/designers A-Z)
Natalie Choprasert https://futureailab.com/ @brand.nat (AI learning)
Lisandra Everret https://www.youtube.com/@HomeBizTaxLady @HomeBizTaxLady (Business Taxes)
Anthony Lee https://aiplusautomation.com/ @aimarketerguy (Workflow improvement)
Diana Gladney https://www.youtube.com/@DianaGladney (Video Specialist)
Sabrina Ramonov https://www.youtube.com/@sabrina_ramonov (AI learning
Karlton Dennis https://www.youtube.com/@karltondennis @karltondennis (Business Taxes)
Justin Fineberg https://www.cassidyai.com @justinfineberg (Workflow improvement)
Marques Brownlee https://www.youtube.com/@mkbhd @mkbhd (Tech reviewer)
Wode Maya https://www.youtube.com/@WODEMAYA @wodemaya (freelance African vlogger)
Chris Heidorn https://www.youtube.com/@TokenizedAI @chrisheidorn AI image creation tools (midjourney)
About Black Gen Staff
Bro. Joel Mackall is an award-winning Educator & Project Developer with the ReIdren Business Group based in Roxbury MA. He was the co-founder of the SOS Living Museum, the Hidden History of Black Boston Tours, the Nubian Writer's Group and is a self-published author. He has also served as secretary of the Cameroonians of Lowell Association, as an officer on the Warren Gardens Housing Cooperative board, on the advisory council of the Network of Immigrant and African American Solidarity and as a technology chairperson with the Black Community Information Center.
Bro. Joel presented "Excellence AND Culture: Operating Your Cooperative Better, Simpler and Truer" at the National Association of Housing Cooperatives Annual Conference in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands and "Why Do We Black Folks Hate On Each Other?" at the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations' Ancient Egyptian Studies Conference in Newark, NJ. He has led/facilitated numerous professional workshops in Greater Boston on topics including genealogy, African & world history, business design and technology at the Freedom House, Mother Caroline Academy, Warren Gardens, Roxbury Multi-Service Center, Roxbury Community College, Emerson College, Lesley College, South Bay House of Correction, almost all of the BPL neighborhood branches and Walden Square Technology Center (north Cambridge), in both English and Spanish. To learn more/contact Joel at SNLREIDREN or drop a message.
Projects & Awards
•Creative Community Fellow - National Art Strategies (2022)
•Fairmount Cultural Corridor Artist Commission Grant – for “Radical Welcoming: Docu-Poetry Workshop for Greater Upham’s Corner” (2021)
•Tufts Medical Center Community COVID-19 Relief & Recovery Program Grant – for Startup Design for Businesses & Non-profits (2021-2)
•Malcolm X Afrikan Achievers Award for outstanding community service, from the Black Community Information Center Inc. (2021)
•Small Business Startup/Design Program grant, from Berkshire Bank Foundation Community Building (2020)
•Fellowes Athenaeum Trust Fund grants for Technology Instruction at the Dudley Branch Boston Public Library (2014), Smartphone for Seniors (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019), Tracing our Roots / Facing Slavery – Family Genealogy (2006, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022), Business Startup for Entrepreneurs (2020), African-American History Series (2021-2)
•Photography Exhibition: “African America in the Nile River Valley”, for the National Museum of Afro-American Artists (2019)
•Poetry/History Exhibition: “Hauntologies of David Walker City”, for the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture Grant, Codman Square Library Branch (2019)
•Creative Entrepreneur Fellowship - Business for Artists, for the Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston (2018)
•Hands-On Black History Learning Retreat, for the City of Boston Arts and Culture Opportunity Fund Grant (2017)
•Grove Hall Trust Fund Grant for African-American Genealogy programming (2016)
•Keeper of the Gardens Award for community service from Warren Gardens Housing Cooperative (2009, 2014)
•The Archie Williams Jr. Technology Award from the Freedom House Inc. (April 2010)
“Mr. Joel Mackall has been helping our company Butu International (African hair services and African home base products) for more than 12 years in the Brockton area. He has an excellent track record and is well known for his sense of initiative and persistence. A good example of these is the a fact that most of our new services and products come from his ideas. I am sure that he will help other businesses grow even more and do a great job in any training program. I greatly appreciate his time.”
“The ReIdren Business Group, has been inspirational to my organization, Parents Management, Incorporated. As a project manager for us, Joel is a very knowledgeable and determined young man. His directives has helped us create a business plan to strengthen our approach and to put our vision to work for the community we serve effectively. Our Organizational skills are getting better and
we are able to feel more confident completing each workshop. Thank you, Joel Mackall, Peace & Blessings!”
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: I’m new to this. I don’t even know what AI really is. Is this still for me?
Absolutely. This is a space built especially for Black folks who are new, curious, or unsure. We start at the beginning and build from there — no prior experience needed. All you need is your full, thinking self and a willingness to explore.
Q2: Do I need a computer to participate?
Yes, ideally. For our live in person workshops, you’ll want to bring a laptop or tablet. A phone can work too. When you begin to organize at home though, we recommend docking your computer/laptop to one, preferably two, monitors over 26". This is big work. Your tools should be as sharp and wide as your vision.
Q3: I’m an creative/ educator / nonprofit organizer / small business owner — will this be relevant to my world?
Very much so. This is built for people who build things. Whether you’re shaping curriculum, running events, designing a product, creating content, or holding it down for our community — we show you how AI tools can work for your work.
Q4: Is this going to be very technical or code-heavy?
We break it waaaaaaay down. We’ll walk you through it all in plain, clear language. You’ll learn how to design and prompt AI tools, and you’ll see examples across creative, professional, and community settings. We build more advanced work each time: everything we touch on together, you’ll always have support.
Q5: I’m a little older and not the fastest with tech. Should I still come?
Yes. We honor all forms of experience. Our space is built to move with patience and respect. We’re not racing — we’re building, together.
Q6: Is this a one-time thing? Will there be more chances to learn?
This is just the beginning. If you attend and participate, you’ll be invited into deeper sessions — including online intensives, small group labs, and even one-on-one support. We’re building a full system, and you’re welcome to grow with us.
Q7: I don’t live in Boston. Can I still be involved?
Yes, though this event is in-person, our full learning system includes online sessions (we will engage the entire African diaspora and the continent as well). To be part of future cohorts, you’ll need to begin by attending at least one in-person or remote workshop. That’s how we build trust, consistency and groundation.
Q8: What should I bring with me?
Live and in person: bring your device (laptop or tablet), a power cord, and something to take notes. Remote: bring your online decorum (smile) and positivity. Everywhere: Bring your questions. And bring your ideas — we’ll make space for them.
Q9: What if I don’t have a laptop or can’t bring one?
If you don’t have access to a device, let us know, we may be able to help you follow up with other options in our community tech pipeline.
Q10: What is this term that is so central called “Ask a Good Question”?
It is foundational to our position in the trends and real change that the technology know as Artificial Intelligence is bringing to us in all formations: family, neighborhood, community, city/town, and nation-state. The real issue isn’t just in the tech — it’s in the *art of asking a good *question. Learning to shape a good prompt is learning to work better, simpler and sometimes even truer. Black creativity starts with deep inquiry. That’s the whole assignment.
Q11: Are there any resources that we can exploit before the workshop?
Yes. These are some good folks to get into your ‘feeds’:
Joel Mackall www.facebook.com/groups/blackgen @reidren (History, Genealogy & Technology for Black Folks)
Mahdi Woodard 100kcampaign.com @mahdiwoodard (Business/AI leader strategies)
Chris Do @chrisdo thefutur.com/people/chris-do (Business startup for creatives/designers A-Z)
Natalie Choprasert futureailab.com/ @brand.nat (AI learning)
Lisandra Everret www.youtube.com/@HomeBizTaxLady @HomeBizTaxLady (Business Taxes)
Anthony Lee aiplusautomation.com/ @aimarketerguy (Workflow improvement)
Diana Gladney www.youtube.com/@DianaGladney (Video Specialist)
Sabrina Ramonov www.youtube.com/@sabrina_ramonov (AI learning
Karlton Dennis www.youtube.com/@karltondennis @karltondennis (Business Taxes)
Justin Fineberg www.cassidyai.com @justinfineberg (Workflow improvement)
Marques Brownlee www.youtube.com/@mkbhd @mkbhd (Tech reviewer)
Wode Maya www.youtube.com/@WODEMAYA @wodemaya (freelance African vlogger)
Chris Heidorn www.youtube.com/@TokenizedAI @chrisheidorn AI image creation tools (midjourney)
What lies in our Black creative pre-rememberance? What will happen over the next 3 years as new machine learning accelerates? How does one ‘ask a good question’? We’ll talk about & illustrate these questions and more. Join the wider discussion, this ‘vigilance during change in slaveship weather’, at future presentations and our forum at:
