Jamil Akim O'Quinn

Jamil Akim O'Quinn IG/Twitter: Joquinn06 Growing up in Compton, California Jamil Akim O'Quinn was the awkward queer nerd navigating life with a disability, who loved performance art and academia in a world that imposed a narrow vision of what it meant to be a Black man. At a young age, he searched to find his voice through acting and writing. This search led him to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California at Berkeley where he majored in Sociology, and Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies, while also completing the Pre-Medicine curriculum. While at Berkeley, Jamil released his first publication entitled, "Black MASKulinity", investigating complexities of sexuality within the black male population of UC Berkeley. Furthermore, he wrote and directed his first staged play entitled, "Blackness: Perspectives of Color". In his search to understand sexualities, Jamil continued his education at Princeton Theological Seminary, receiving a Master of Divinity in Religion and Society. For his Master's thesis, Jamil published a didactic manual titled: "Having the Queer Conversation from the Perspective of the Christological Jesus". After performing the national tour of Broadway's "The Book of Mormon, Jamil realized the global reach of television and film. He returned to Los Angeles to receive his Master of Fine Arts degree in Screenwriting from Loyola Marymount University. Jamil is dedicated to layered, queer, family narratives that give voice to the systemically voiceless communities.