In every aspect of his life, Joey Oteng has become an accomplished storyteller and an active changemaker. Using his talent for emotional introspection and knowledge of social systems to connect to others, Oteng opens up new portals of perspective for people around the globe. He puts it like this, “no matter what I’m doing, I'm going to be a storyteller. I can use photography, I can use my writing, I can use my voice”; these tools have enabled him to create change across communities.
Oteng, class of 2015, was often referred to as Mr. UVM due to his abundant presence on campus during his years as a student. Oteng was a member of countless extracurriculars, ranging from the PhiMuDelta fraternity, to orientation leader, and UVM-TV Host. As busy as he was outside the classroom, his religion courses became a major source of inspiration during his time on campus. Inside the classroom his professors were discussing critical theory, social justice and how they often intertwined in faith. Oteng ended up majoring in religion and minoring in biology.
One of his most influential experiences at UVM was joining the Inter-Residence Association (IRA), where he learned about “anti-racism, sexual assault prevention, bystander intervention, I mean, the full gamut of social identity.” After these IRA trainings, Oteng began leading social justice workshops, helping other students understand their social role and the ways they can help combat oppression.
Since graduating, Oteng has jumped headfirst into a number of different career fields. First, he pursued a masters in Higher Education & Administration from Kent State. He’s currently earning his Doctor of Law from Ohio State, expected to graduate in 2022. Working four jobs this summer, Oteng has been busy representing folks in Eviction Court and Teen Court, while conducting research at the Supreme Court of Ohio on incarceration alternatives. After a long day of shuffling between cases, he heads home to concentrate on himself, cooking dinner, working out and catching up on reading or content creation. Before bed he journals, getting ready to do it all again tomorrow.
Through all the jam-packed days, Oteng maintains his passion for writing, photography, people, and justice—sharing it all with his talent for storytelling. These passions are therapeutic for him, offering a creative outlet in several different forms of media. Oteng’s years of written and digital content, as a photographer, blogger, podcast host, and social justice educator, can be found on his linktree and his business profile, Youthful Life Works LLC.
During spring of 2020, Oteng worked remotely in the DC-based Reporter's Committee for Freedom of the Press, when George Floyd was murdered. The organization had a policy then that discouraged employees from partaking in protests fearing it would be a "political stance”. Frustrated with their inaction, Joey began creating infographics to educate folks on topics of racism and mass incarceration. After creating over 100 infographics, many now viral on Instagram, Oteng expanded his justice work: creating short video lessons and hosting workshops on white supremacy, self-care, vulnerability and more. Oteng is frequently telling people, “We’re waiting for you”, because no system can change without each and every one of us.
Another product of the pandemic and the country-wide reckoning with systemic racism was the How We Feel podcast, which launched its first 20-minute episode in April 2021. Oteng co-created and co-hosts the podcasts with Nate Robinson, a life coach from Colorado, who he met over Instagram. The two got talking and instantly clicked, Oteng referring to them as “kindred spirits” with similar views on life, centered around the need for kindness, compassion, and inclusivity in today's world. On their podcast, the two talk about everything; no topic is off limits, and it’s all viewed through an emotional lens.
"In our patriarchal society, women are permitted to display emotions, while men are expected to hide them, a pattern that's damaging to all parties regardless of gender,” explains Oteng. The pair of friends with two completely different life experiences realized that men, and really all people, could benefit from listening to the honest way they were talking about their emotions, and thus How We Feel was born. In their episodes, they pick a topic: sexism, covid-19, masculinity, or racism for example; and then they talk through it with feeling. The podcast challenges the pair to carry their hearts on their sleeves and create a space where their audience can feel comfortable to reflect on their own stories and join them in conversations of personal, societal, and global growth.
The key to creating radical change? Oteng says, “It’s vulnerability and accountability. If we want to create change, it has to cost us something.” For many, that cost is sharing their experiences honestly, and for others, it’s listening and engaging with them. No matter what side of the story you're on, Oteng emphasizes, “you have to be willing to leave your sense of safety and comfort behind in order to grow.”
Unfortunately, it’s not always so easy. Oteng explains that he “feels like there's often this barrier in conversation when it comes to race where there are two options: walking through the door or turning around because it’s uncomfortable.” When you walk away for fear of being wrong, “then you can't understand my fullness,” Oteng explains. “You don't see me as a whole person because you're missing this huge part of how I move through the world. And so, now I’m left asking; how can I get you to come through the door with me?”. The answer to that question may still be a work in progress, but the bravery Joey Oteng pours into his storytelling is certainly helping. By making his own journey transparent, he’s inspiring people everywhere to open up, so that together we can all walk through this door and push for radical, emotional change.