NOMMO’s Tyree Boyd-Pates on Civic Media, Black History, Museums, and Communicating Afrofuturist Imaginings.

Today marks an exciting milestone for NOMMO Cultural Strategies: our founder, Tyree Boyd-Pates, is a featured contributor in We Are Civic Media: The Book, published by Northwestern University Press.

This groundbreaking volume serves as a collective manifesto for the field of civic media, one that refuses to separate the deeply personal from the political, the individual from the structural. Through twenty-three essays, reflections, and lived experiences, the book honors the practitioners, educators, cultural leaders, and community members who are shaping civic media as both a practice and a philosophy.

Tyree’s contribution reflects his lifelong commitment to uplifting Black narratives through an African-centered lens. As a multidisciplinary historian and cultural archaeologist, Tyree’s work interrogates how archives, museums, and public history can be reimagined as platforms for liberation spaces where the histories of the African Diaspora are not only preserved but celebrated. His chapter in We Are Civic Media explores how cultural strategy, curatorial practice, and storytelling can serve as civic infrastructure, empowering communities to see themselves as both the narrators and architects of their futures.

“Civic media is not just about content, it’s about context, connection, and community. It’s about making history a living, breathing force for liberation,” Tyree reflects.

From his early engagement with the African Diaspora in South Africa to his curatorial leadership in major museums, Tyree has consistently pushed for institutions to center the lived realities of marginalized people. His founding of NOMMO Cultural Strategies and Freedom School Online further extends this mission, bridging art, education, and activism to create cultural narratives that resonate globally.

We’re thrilled to see Tyree’s voice alongside other visionary thinkers in this important work. We Are Civic Media is more than a book, it’s an invitation to enter the world of civic media, discover its many pathways, and connect with the people shaping it.

Get your copy: Visit We Are Civic Media and use discount code CIVICMEDIA for 25% off at the Northwestern University Press website.