# Raquel Cepeda

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**Raquel Cepeda** (born June 9, 1973) is an American [journalist](/source/Journalist), [critic](/source/Critic), [film-maker](/source/Film-maker), and [autobiographer](/source/Autobiographer) of Dominican descent. The editor of *[Russell Simmons](/source/Russell_Simmons)' OneWorld* magazine between 2001 and 2004, Cepeda was also the editor of the award-winning anthology "And It Don't Stop: The Best American Hip-Hop Journalism of the Last 25 Years",[1] the co-producer, writer, and director of the documentary film *Bling: A Planet Rock*,[2] and the author of "Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina."[3]

## Early life and education

Cepeda describes her early life in detail in "Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina." She was born in [Harlem](/source/Harlem) to Dominican immigrants on June 9, 1973. As a young child, Cepeda herself lived in the [Dominican Republic](/source/Dominican_Republic) before returning to New York in 1981. There, in the [Inwood](/source/Inwood,_Manhattan)/[Washington Heights](/source/Washington_Heights,_Manhattan) section of [Upper Manhattan](/source/Upper_Manhattan), she resided with her father, who was abusive, and her Scandinavian stepmother. Cepeda's relationship with her mother was essentially nonexistent after 1981.

As a student, Cepeda frequently found herself at odds with the authority figures at the schools she attended. This contentiousness stemmed from Cepeda's belief that the system mis-educated students about American history and their own respective ethnic histories as well. Like many other young and disenfranchised people, Cepeda found community in 1980s hip-hop culture. It was hip-hop, she says, that fueled her passion for exploring the issues of race, identity, and social justice through journalism, writing, and filmmaking.

## Career

During the past 20 years, Cepeda has written about music, culture, fitness, politics, race and identity for such publications as *[People](/source/People_(magazine))*,[4] *[Time Out New York](/source/Time_Out_New_York)*,[5] The *[Village Voice](/source/Village_Voice)*,[6] [CNN](/source/CNN).com,[7] *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*,[8] and many other outlets.

In 2001, Cepeda was named editor-in-chief of *Russell Simmons' OneWorld* magazine. She was then 28 years old. The *[San Francisco Chronicle](/source/San_Francisco_Chronicle)* praised Cepeda's stewardship as follows: "Finally, there's another option for the intelligent urban mind, and much like the woman at its helm, *OneWorld* magazine is bold and refreshing."[9]

Cepeda left *OneWorld* in 2004, a few months before the publication of "And It Don't Stop: The Best American Hip-Hop Journalism." In a review for [Salon](/source/Salon_(website)).com, Peter L'Official wrote, "At its best, 'And It Don't Stop' is a collection of hip-hop's most vital moments — a historical documentation of the music's evolution and the journalism that evolved along with that music."[10] The anthology went on to win a [PEN/Open Book](/source/PEN/Open_Book) Award[11] and a Latino Book Award.[12]

In 2007, Cepeda co-produced, wrote and directed the feature documentary *Bling: A Planet Rock.* Featuring the American rappers [Raekwon](/source/Raekwon) and [Paul Wall](/source/Paul_Wall) and the Puerto Rican rapper and reggaeton star [Tego Calderon](/source/Tego_Calderon), the film was described by Catherine Clyne in *Satya* magazine as "a unique documentary that draws together American hip-hop, its trappings of glittery bling-worship and the recent civil war in [Sierra Leone](/source/Sierra_Leone), which was fueled by diamonds mined under brutal conditions."[13] A shorter version of the film, edited for content and time, aired on VH1 in February 2007 under the title *Bling'd: Blood, Diamonds and Hip-Hop.*

Cepeda's autobiography, "Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina," was published by Atria Books in March 2013. In a review for [NBC](/source/NBC) Latino, Claudio Remeseira suggested that readers should see the book as "the non-fiction, female-gender companion to [Junot Díaz](/source/Junot_D%C3%ADaz)'s '[The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao](/source/The_Brief_Wondrous_Life_of_Oscar_Wao)'. Both are tales of self-discovery through the many racial, ethnic, and linguistic conflicting forces that lie at the heart of U.S. Latino identity, as well as the story of a personal struggle against a supposed *fukú* or ancestral curse that has haunted the author's families for generations."[14] The *[Huffington Post](/source/Huffington_Post)'*s Dr. David J. Leonard wrote that "'Bird of Paradise' is a book where hip-hop meets the human genome project."[15]

Since March 2015, Cepeda has been the co-host of a podcast called "Our National Conversation About Conversations About Race." Known more briefly as "About Race," the show has been described as "a lively multiracial, interracial conversation about the ways we can't talk, don't talk, would rather not talk, but intermittently, fitfully, embarrassingly do talk about culture, identity, politics, power, and privilege in our pre-post-yet-still-very-racial America."[16] Co-founded by Cepeda with authors [Baratunde Thurston](/source/Baratunde_Thurston) and [Tanner Colby](/source/Tanner_Colby), "About Race" was produced by [Panoply Media](/source/Panoply_Media), a part of [Slate](/source/Slate_(magazine))'s podcast network.

## Personal life

Raquel Cepeda was married to [Sacha Jenkins](/source/Sacha_Jenkins), who was an American television producer, writer, musician and curator. She lives in New York City with her daughter, Djali, and their son, Marceau.[17] Jenkins died in 2025.[18]

## References

1. "And it Don't Stop: The Best American Hip-Hop Journalism of the Last 25 Years," as depicted and described on amazon.com, [https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Stop-American-Hip-Hop-Journalism/dp/0571211593/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1388266571&sr=1-1&keywords=and+it+don%27t+stop](https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Stop-American-Hip-Hop-Journalism/dp/0571211593/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1388266571&sr=1-1&keywords=and+it+don%27t+stop)

1. Cepeda, Raquel, ["Bling: A Planet Rock"](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0775434/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (Documentary), Article 19 Films, Djali Rancher Productions, retrieved 2023-01-31

1. "Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina," as depicted and described on amazon.com, [https://www.amazon.com/Bird-Paradise-How-Became-Latina/dp/1451635869/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1388266679&sr=1-1&keywords=bird+of+paradise+how+i+became+latina](https://www.amazon.com/Bird-Paradise-How-Became-Latina/dp/1451635869/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1388266679&sr=1-1&keywords=bird+of+paradise+how+i+became+latina)

1. "The Next Great Wonder?" People, July 25, 2005, [\[1\]](https://web.archive.org/web/20131230235531/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20143911,00.html)

1. "HILL FIRE: After killing everyone softly with her song, the Fugees' Lauryn Hill goes solo," Time Out New York, June 4–11, 1998

1. "The N-Word is Flourishing Among Generation Hip-Hop Latinos," Village Voice, Oct. 22, 2008, [\[2\]](https://web.archive.org/web/20081024133106/http://www.villagevoice.com/2008-10-22/music/the-n-word-is-flourishing-among-generation-hip-hop-latinos/)

1. ["Commentary: 'But what's a Latino?' - CNN.com"](http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/10/22/cepeda.latino.census/index.html). *www.cnn.com*. Retrieved 2023-01-31.

1. McFadden, Bernice L.; Cepeda, Raquel; Danticat, Edwidge; Channer, Colin; Nunez, Elizabeth (2013-11-07). ["My Caribbean: 5 Vignettes"](https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/10/travel/my-caribbean-5-vignettes.html). *The New York Times*. [ISSN 0362-4331](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0362-4331). Retrieved 2024-07-05.

1. Sanders, Joshunda, "Raquel Cepeda, Editor and Activist…explores the maturing hip-hop nation," San Francisco Chronicle, July 21, 2002, [http://www.sfgate.com/living/article/PROFILE-Raquel-Cepeda-Editor-and-Activist-2793527.php](http://www.sfgate.com/living/article/PROFILE-Raquel-Cepeda-Editor-and-Activist-2793527.php)

1. L'Official, Peter (2004-10-14). [""And It Don't Stop" edited by Raquel Cepeda"](https://www.salon.com/2004/10/13/hiphop_3/). *Salon*. Retrieved 2024-07-05.

1. [PEN/Open Book](/source/PEN/Open_Book)

1. ["Live from the Pratt - Enoch Pratt Free Library"](http://www.prattlibrary.org/booksmedia/podcasts/index.aspx?id=79024)

1. ["Satya June/July 07: Interview with Raquel Cepeda"](http://www.satyamag.com/jun07/cepeda.html). *www.satyamag.com*. Retrieved 2024-07-05.

1. Remeseira, Claudio I., "Latinas and the African presence in the Caribbean – 3 fascinating reads," nbclatino.com, August 5, 2013, [http://nbclatino.com/2013/08/05/latinas-and-the-african-presence-in-the-caribbean-3-fascinating-reads/](http://nbclatino.com/2013/08/05/latinas-and-the-african-presence-in-the-caribbean-3-fascinating-reads/)

1. ["Remixing Science: Raquel Cepeda's Bird of Paradise"](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/remixing-science-raquel-c_b_2811090). *HuffPost*. 2013-03-05. Retrieved 2024-07-05.

1. ["Home"](http://www.showaboutrace.com/). *showaboutrace.com*

1. ["The Coolest Black Kid in America, No. 3: Djali Brown-Cepeda"](http://www.ebony.com/video/life/coolest-black-kid-no-3-djali-brown-cepeda-333#axzz2z4FweWjA), *Ebony*, January 2014.

1. Carson, Lexi (23 May 2025). ["Sacha Jenkins, Journalist Turned Documentarian, Dies at 54"](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/sacha-jenkins-dead-journalist-filmmaker-1236229231/). *[The Hollywood Reporter](/source/The_Hollywood_Reporter)*. Retrieved 27 May 2025.

## External links

- [djalirancher.com](http://djalirancher.com), Cepeda's official website
- [Raquel Cepeda](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2187153/) at IMDb

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Raquel Cepeda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raquel_Cepeda) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raquel_Cepeda?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.