"Take one gorgeous woman. Add brains, a top-notch education, an enormous heart, and a sense of style--and what do you have? Damali Ayo. Damali is one of those people who is very quietly, very earnestly, and very effectively changing the world."- Fashion, evolved.
"...she gets joy from shrinking her carbon footprint."
"She sees a strong link between racial justice and the environment."
- Redbook Magazine
"The hope is that green consumers who can afford to pay more will do so in order to allow green consumers on tighter budgets to pay less and thus enable greater numbers to participate in positive environmental change."
"The Three-Way Shirt exemplifies CROW’s philosophy toward sustainable design. Not only is it made of eco-aware fabrics, but its multi-function versatility also enables women to achieve more looks with fewer items, a great strategy for clearing out closet clutter and saving some cash."- The Lazy Environmentalist
"Not only will their chic sustainable clothing catch the eyes of the socially conscious, but I pretty much guarantee that once the word spreads that you can buy their clothes on a sliding scale, that this indie brand will soon become mainstream."- The Fashion Rag
"But, from what we can tell, there is a lot more to this company than very cool clothing with an innovative pricing structure. The CROW website is full of resources, including articles, videos and links, and has its own social network. Whew! It's a lot to crow about!" - White Apricot
...simple chic and sustainable in every aspect"
"CROW is more than just clothes--it's a lifestyle..." - Fashion, evolved
she's trying to cajole white liberals out of their self-congratulatory attitudes toward racism, which has many...boasting about their relationships with black people. - the village voice.com
"witty, empathetic, unsettling, hilarious." - the nation
Radio damali's work has been featured often on public radio including several stories on public radio international's studio 360. for a collection of her radio pieces and audio works get damali's cd.
"living flag," co-produced by dmae roberts and damali ayo was awarded a 2005 silver reel award for arts features and reporting by the national federation of community broadcasters
Television
"we all were glued to the television last night. I love how she corrected Bill O'Reilly on how to pronounce her name- she is tough." - a viewer
cspan's book tv
the o'reilly factor watch
KOMO news seattle watch
KOIN 6 news portland
Book Reviews
BEST BOOK OF SUMMER 2005
"Satirists Godfrey Cambridge to Dave Chappelle, and intellects Bertice Berry to Cornel West would be proud." - books and words.com
2005 Honorable Mention in the Outstanding Book Awards from the Gustavus Meyers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights
"a must-read book." - bust "witty, empathetic, unsettling, hilarious." - the nation "teases out the foibles of racial dissonance with penetrating subtlety." - washington examiner "Uncomfortable? Sure. But How To Rent a Negro is also funny, biting and valuable." - ruminator
Mention in Books Open House:Of Family, Friends, Food, Piano Lessons and the Search for a Room of My Ownby Patricia Williams pp. 208-9:"this kind of media driven stereotypification is what compelled conceptual artist damai ayo to create her web site rent-a-negro.com..." - pat williams
Media and Ethnic Minorities by Valerie Alia and Simone Bull p.155: "Humor is a problematic method for challenging stereotypes. While there are those for whom damali ayo's and Abe Okpik's stunts are demeaning, many people find such satirical approaches to challenging hackneyed representations of minorities useful catalysts for debate. Abe Okpik and damali ayo have effectively reappropriated the right of Inuit and African Americans to define their own cultures."
Internet Art by Rachel Greene, Executive Director of Rhizome.org and curatorial fellow at the New Museum, for Contemporary Art in NY. pp 185-7: "The liberatory potential of these works resides in the dramatization of stereotypes brought to bear on African American lives."
Blessed Are the Uncool: Living Authentically in a World of Show by Paul Grant p.44 Grant uses the How to Rent a Negro framework to examine white co-optation of black cultural expression.
Winning the Race: Beyond the Crisis in Black America by John McWhorter p.180 McWhoter spends three pages criticizing damali's work with pretty limited understanding or facts. damali wears this critique from one of culture's most backwards thinkers as a badge of accomplishment.
Awards 2005 Honorable Mention in the Outstanding Book Awards from the Gustavus Meyers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights for How to Rent a Negro
national federation of community broadcasters 2005 silver reel award for arts features and reporting for "living flag" co-produced by dmae roberts and damali ayo
