Today we’d like to introduce you to Hasani Burton.
Hi Hasani, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
In November of 2015, Hasani Burton suffered a near fatal head-on collision from an intoxicated driver traveling the wrong way down I-20 from Dallas to Shreveport. After four years of intense rehabilitation, emotional lows and severe doubts about the future and his place in it, Hasani began a journey of legacy and love for his Dallas community that now defines his existence.
The journey would start with his purchase of a dilapidated, 99 year old corner store used mostly for the sale of beer, wine and lottery tickets at the Dallas intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and Malcolm X in 2019. Originally planning to renovate the building into a simple spot for food and music, the scope and vision for the historic intersection, one of only two Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and Malcom X intersections in the United States, would grow substantially over the next 5 years.
The next purposeful event would be the most transformative of Hasani’s life when his son, Olodumare “Olo” Burton was born in 2020 during the height of the covid pandemic. There is nothing in this life more important to him than raising Olo from a dependent child into a man who contributes to building progress in society.
On February 9th 2024, the City of Dallas dedicated the day to the iconic civil rights activist Ms. Juanita Craft. As part of this dedication, the building purchased by Hasani in 2019 was honored to receive a mural dedicated to Ms. Craft featuring the art of Dallas’ own Lakeem Wilson with lettering art by Zeneth. With the addition of Juanita Craft to the Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and Malcolm X intersection, not only did it make the intersection the most unique in the United States, but it signaled to the community the beginning of the South Dallas Renaissance. The South Dallas Renaissance is a movement that will grow over the next 20 years to bring arts, culture and economic development to the community that will revitalize the area to support Dallas tourism and commerce.
2024 would also have Hasani become a member of the City of Dallas Public Arts Committee.
Hasani is currently working diligently to break ground on the new, state-of-the-art KemetMedia Building. The building will support hundreds of small businesses in advertising with audio studios, VFX/graphics studios and proprietary technology supported by A.I. for creative content production.
The vision of the KemetMedia Building will assure that the intersection and the community it supports will bring a legacy of progress for the next 100 years and beyond.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The greatest obstacle I faced at the beginning of this journey is doubt that anything I did matters.
Before the 2015 car wreck, I was a very active advocate for economic development and public policy that would revitalize the Dallas community I love. Multiple surgeries, spending months in a wheelchair and years utilizing assisted walking devices, all while being isolated from friends, family and community took a physical and mental toll on me. I began to see the world differently. I began to see people differently. I saw myself differently. Relationships that I thought were strong were tested. Many did not survive. I felt left behind by all the efforts I had previously dedicated myself to. Years of service just didn’t seem to have made a difference.
I attempted to reclaim some of what I had felt I lost. Especially in the area of public policy. I joined several organizations for different efforts and even ran for Congress. While I did make new relationships and hopefully, was supportive to the success of causes much bigger than myself, I never felt vital.
It wasn’t until after I had bought the real estate that will be the home of the KemetMedia Building, became a father and survived the pandemic that my purpose began to really become clear. All these milestones had challenges within themselves, but these challenges have allowed me to shed all my doubts and press forward towards a singular vision of my own creation.
I turned 40 years old in 2024 and I can say that I am “the most me” that I have ever been in my life. I am now all the things I need to be to live the life I choose to live. Now I just need to stay the course as I walk in my purpose. The former doubts, both my own and from others, no longer have the ability to inhibit me. Pain, both physical and mental, are a minor inconvenience. My loses, both actual and perceived, no longer are consequential.
I have conquered the biggest obstacle any person can ever conquer: The obstacle of one’s self.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about KemetMedia?
KemetMedia started as an outlet for me to express some creativity while potentially generating some revenue from that creativity.
We launched a graphic novel through our Kemet Comics brand called ELEMENT: In The Beginning in 2018 around the same time as the first Black Panther movie. ELEMENT has an animated series in development that can be described as X-Men meets Draganball Z. We also are developing a storytelling strategic card game similar to Magic: The Gathering or Dungeons & Dragons based on characters from the ELEMENT universe called Kemet Comics: Epic. These are long term creative efforts. Significant updates will be posted to KemetComics.com.
The larger effort is the KemetMedia platform that will assist creatives in producing content using A.I. The KemetMedia building will be the engine for this effort. The KemetMedia Building is more comparable to the first generation iPhone than a typical commercial building.
We are very excited to bring the KemetMedia Building concept to a community full of potential and to be working with partners like the City of Dallas on the effort.
There is also a finance branch of KemetMedia that will be launched in 2025. I will be sure to share that launch with CanvasRebel/Voyage readers at the appropriate time. Stay tuned!
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I’d like to think I had a more-or-less typical millennial experience growing up.
It started off with me with my two parents and sister. My mother has always been the hardest working woman I know. My father was someone I looked up to in my younger years and wanted to emulate. Unfortunately, he wanted a life for himself that did not require him to live in the house with his wife and his children. He left the home when I was young and attempting to process some traumatic experiences in my life.
Him leaving the home along with other factors was the catalyst for depression and self-harm in my teenage years. It also contributed to a lifetime of confusion, doubt and skepticism about myself and others. Most people around me never really knew the depths of depression I dealt with in my younger years or how it affected me after the 2015 car wreck. Like many in my position, I became a master at pretending that I was okay while constructing a persona of confidence when I was anything but. Negatively speaking, I’ve had a lifetime of mental health struggles that I have only truly learned how to manage in the years since my son was born. Positively though, it allowed me to observe, analyze and manage people and situations that others would struggle with. My experiences made me “tough.” My mindset made me “fearless.” Being tough once was an isolating trait. Now it’s a trait that allows me to be resilient through the most difficult obstacles. Being fearless once made me self-destructive. Now it allows me to take on challenges with eyes wide open without blinking.
With all that I was generally an optimistic, kind and caring youth who had a sense of “societal responsibility.” I never wanted to just be a person taking up space. I wanted my existence to be impactful. I didn’t want others to have to experience some of the traumas I experienced. I wanted to find solutions to societies most pressing issues.
I did a lot of reading. Everything from the fantasy of Mercedes Lackey and Terry Goodkind, to articles in U.S. News and World Report or Newsweek. I loved reading Time and National Geographic with all the interesting photography. The vampires of Anne Rice were captivating. I also grew up in an era pre-internet where if I had a question about a concept or a word I had to consult the family encyclopedia or dictionary.
I loved T.V. like most youths. Some of my favorite shows were Duck Tails, Gargoyles and X-Men Animated Series. As a side-note, X-Men was so influential that it was the reason I pursued a degree in biology focusing in genetics in college along with minors in chemistry and psychology. I’m just now realizing that with the exception of Thundercats, which would give me a lifelong admiration for swords that I would express through my college fencing team, all the cartoons that influenced me as a child are now owned by Disney. That’s one hell of a company. I don’t see how can anyone not like Disney!
I’ve attempted to apply hard and soft lessons from growing up to many aspects of my life. I will never forget my 3rd grade teacher Mrs. Baker who asked me while I was wondering the school halls in my 5th grade year if I was, “Taking responsibility for my actions.” Mrs. Baker and I did not get along well while she was my teacher. However, that one moment in the hallway is one I consistently return to. I can confidently say the answer to that question is yes.
Thank you for the lesson Mrs. Baker. Wherever you are,
Contact Info:
- Website: KemetComics.com
- Instagram: @KemetComics, @KemetMedia
