Dr. T.J. Desch-Obi is the first outsider to attain mastery rank in the Afro-Colombian martial art of grima, holding an instructor level in five distinct styles and experience in another five. T.J. is an Associate Professor of African and African Diaspora History at the CUNY where he also teaches in the Black and Latino Studies, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and Religion departments. He is the author of Fighting for Honor: The History of African Martial Art Traditions in the Atlantic World.