I am a Loser, I am Martyr Loser King.

A recap of The Fader and New York Code+Design Academy Hackathon for Social Justice

Imagine a child in Africa riddled in dirt told by millions that because of his lifestyle… his circumstances he is a “loser”. Imagine this same child looking at you, eyes bright with a small radio in his hand built from scraps of metal, odds and ends gathered from the trash. Built by him. Now, is he still a loser?

What the world thinks of Africa is this horrible notion that the continent is poor in every sense of the word, however, that couldn’t be any farther from the truth. Africa is rich with minerals, gems, including coltan which is used a source of power in our electronic devices. If this boy, Kelvin from Africa, is a loser, well guess what? So am I. The term loser is used to depict a person who has been condemned by the world’s standards.This notion comes about from the amazing tale of Martyr Loser King.

This past Saturday, I walked into the Fader and New York Code+Design Academy Hackathon for Social Justice as the only UX Designer amongst a hub of web developers. For my first hackathon, nervousness was written all over my face but so was excitement. Our challenge was to create an application worth representation of artist Saul Williams and his new album and graphic novel, Martyr Loser King. I will be honest, I did a little research on the artist and album but found myself confused at what the true purpose was behind it. Through the ingenious and graphic storytelling of Saul Williams, I was taken out of my element and tossed into the world of Martyr Loser King, a young man who begins a revolution through tech against social injustices in Burundi, Africa. I took notes of his story and with each word written realized just how deep his intellect and passion went. I was floored wth just how oblivious I’ve been to everything that has been so “obvious”.

It’s not my place to give up the entire story of Martyr Loser King but I will say this. This story has opened my eyes to the beautiful and rich land of Africa, innovation WITHOUT exploitation, the massive amount of social injustices of the world especially, the evolution and yearning for power. The story of Martyr Loser King is a fiction tale embedded with the harsh realities of the world from issues with LGBT rights and ethnicities to technology and corruption. One of the best quotes of the day is from Saul Williams’, Burundi:

I’m a candle, chop my neck a million times, I still burn bright and stand.

This quote means that no matter how many times you strike me down or even if you kill me, my legacy will carry on. As long as you believe in a better world, fighting the stereotypes and not letting anyone or anything define you. You are a Martyr Loser King. You are a loser. Even when you're gone from this plane, your legacy will always remain. Do something worth remembering.