Meet Aliyah Blackmore, Digital Writer and Strategist at Bloom

Earlier this year we welcomed Aliyah Blackmore to the Bloom team to support our work with the Department of Veterans Affairs to make information and services more accessible on VA.gov. Behind her quiet and measured zoom personality lies a myriad of talents and interests, a beautiful skill for making sense out of complex language, and at her core a desire to see and understand the people on the other end of the words we write. It was my pleasure to sit down with her for a Q&A:

In a few words how would you describe yourself??

I’m a New York based Afro-Caribbean digital content strategist, writer and editor, and DJ.

A DJ! How did you get into that?

I’m on a bit of a DJ hiatus but, from the start, I was interested in the importance of music and dance? in? Black and of color communities and creating spaces of healing. I consider myself a shy person, so Djing pushes me outside of my comfort zone. I’ve enjoyed learning from so many musicians and artists to conduct and guide a space with music and to see the freedom that comes with dance and movement.?

Where did your career in content begin?

After undergrad I was contracted by a Brooklyn based arts and cultural organization to write and edit a campaign for Caribbean American Heritage Month. I was excited to see first hand the possibilities of the digital space/social media to disseminate information and to inspire diasporic and transnational conversations about Caribbean identity and heritage.?

What drew you to Public Interest Tech?

The desire to center people first and always. I know intimately the complexities of navigating public services — online or in person. Digital services are so often fraught with inequity and algorithms that perpetuate inequity. I was drawn to the ways my experience coupled with my skills as a writer/strategist could be used to create a more equitable world.?

What brought you to Bloom?

I wanted to join a team that asks the difficult questions when met with challenges, while also working with care and patience. I found that Bloom wasn’t focused on having all the answers all of the time. Instead, focused on being accountable and always learning.?

I was also drawn to the team’s commitment to improve services to pull apart infrastructures that often are not designed for the people who need and use them the most.

What inspires you —?professionally and personally?

Community inspires me. I’m continuously learning from Black women and femmes in my communities and what it means to weave together systems of care. The ability to ask “How do I center care and people in the work I’m doing?” With the world burning in so many ways, holding on to pockets of care and emulating that in my personal life is what grounds me, what inspires me.?

What’s your favorite (and maybe controversial) content/grammar opinion?

There are mixed opinions on this, but I really like the em dash. I like writing lengthy pieces, almost stream of consciousness (my grad school thesis was twice the page length it was supposed to be). As a content person, though, it’s important to separate personal preference from the work.