Interview: Ato Blankson-Wood Finds Joy & Resistance in MS. BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT
Ato Blankson-Wood. Photo by Carol Rosegg. In 1992, as the AIDS epidemic devastated LGBTQ+ communities and queer Americans fought for visibility, a Black drag queen named Joan Jett Blakk launched an unlikely campaign for president of the United States. More than three decades later, her story is finding new life onstage, with Ato Blankson-Wood discovering that her greatest political weapon may have been joy. …