Meet the 5 MacArthur ‘Geniuses’ Making the Future Black and Brilliant

October 17, 2025

The 2025 MacArthur Fellows include five Black recipients among the 22 awarded the prestigious $800,000 "genius grant" from the MacArthur Foundation. These Black fellows are pushing boundaries across diverse fields, including film directing (Garrett Bradley), archaeology (Kristina Douglass), photography and public art (Tonika Lewis Johnson), music (Craig Taborn), and chemical engineering (William Tarpeh). Each recipient is making significant contributions in their respective fields, from documenting racial segregation and exploring climate adaptation to transforming wastewater into resources and reimagining musical expressions through various genres and instruments.

Who is affected

Black artists, scientists, musicians, and activists receiving recognition and financial support
Communities benefiting from the fellows' work, including incarcerated people's families in Louisiana
Residents of Chicago's North and South sides through Lewis Johnson's segregation projects
People in Madagascar involved in community-engaged archaeology
Communities in Kenya and California where Tarpeh's wastewater technologies are being piloted

What action is being taken

The MacArthur Foundation is awarding $800,000 no-strings-attached grants to 22 fellows, including five Black recipients
Bradley is combining documentary, narrative, and experimental cinema to explore justice issues
Douglass is conducting community-engaged archaeology in Madagascar with local residents
Lewis Johnson is using photography and public art to document racial segregation in Chicago
Taborn is creating genre-bending music across jazz, classical, electronic, rock, and hip hop
Tarpeh is developing technologies to recover and repurpose pollutants from wastewater

Why it matters

The recognition challenges the notion that Black genius is rare, highlighting its prevalence across disciplines
The fellows' work addresses critical social and environmental issues including incarceration, racial segregation, climate change, and pollution
The no-strings-attached funding allows these innovators to continue their boundary-pushing work
Their contributions are reshaping storytelling, environmental protection, community building, and artistic expression
The work centers environmental justice and community engagement in addressing global challenges

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint