Malakai Wade is a multimedia journalist, editor, designer, and producer. She co-hosts The Happy Hour: A Palate-cleansing Podcast, a news show about solutions journalism. (Check it out on the Multimedia tab!)

Malakai recently participated in NPR’s Next Generation Radio at CapRadio in Sacramento. She produced a story on a biracial artist and activist living in Santa Cruz, CA. Malakai graduated with a degree in journalism and a minor in international relations from San Francisco State University. She was the editor-in-chief of her college magazine, Xpress Magazine, where she spearheaded its transition into fully online during the pandemic. She loves cooking, her cats, and playing Dungeons & Dragons.


Recent Projects

Abi Mustapha paints people who look like her — curly hair, dark skin, rich colors and joyful faces. For her, drawing portraits of other biracial people make up for the lack of representation she saw growing up.

“The more I paint people who look like me and see other people appreciating it, the more I appreciate myself,” she said.

Abi Mustapha takes a moment to pose in front of one of the largest paintings in her studio on Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021. She describes her art as “flowery and goddessy,” painting big hair and big smiles. (Photo by Malakai Wade)