Shaka Senghor and Ebony Roberts, who met and fell in love while Shaka was in prison, struggled to navigate their new relationship as co-parents after their breakup. In spite of their hurt, they agreed to parent their son Sekou as allies not adversaries. Their relationship is challenging the popular narrative that parents can’t get along after a love affair ends. In this talk, they share how they show up for their son, and each other.
Ebony Roberts is the principal/founder of QualOne Research, a qualitative research firm based in Los Angeles. She is a native Detroiter who has worked in the food justice and prison abolition movements for nearly 20 years. Her book “The Love Prison Made and Unmade” (Amistad/HarperCollins) is a national bestseller and was named a Notable Memoir by The New York Times. Ebony holds a BA in social relations and psychology and a PhD in educational psychology, both from Michigan State University.

Shaka Senghor is the President of Shaka Senghor, Inc. His memoir, Writing My Wrongs: Life, Death and Redemption in an American Prison, debuted on The New York Times and The Washington Post Best Seller Lists. Shaka was recently recognized by the Oprah Winfrey Network as a “Soul Igniter” in the inaugural class of the SuperSoul 100. His 2014 TED Talk was featured in their “Year in Ideas” roundup and has over 1.5 million views. Today, Shaka’s priority is shifting societal narratives by creating content with deep social impact and high entertainment value. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx