Osayande is the founder of Talking Drum Communications, co-founder and director of POWER (People Organized Working to Eradicate Racism), and creator of Project ONUS: Redefining Black Manhood.
Following the 1990 fatal shooting of Phillip Pannell Jr., a 14-year-old African American shot by a white policeman in Teaneck, New Jersey, Osayande organized protests and raised awareness about racially motivated police brutality.
[4] For more than a decade, he continued to analyze American culture and educate people of all races about the history and current reality of racism and other forms of oppression.
[5] Early in Osayande's career he met Gwendolyn Brooks, who read his poetry and encouraged him to continue writing, self-promote, and publish his works.
As a result, Osayande founded Talking Drum Communications publishing company and wrote 14 books in 16 years.