Erykah Badu at BKLYN Wellness Center opening.

WHY?: Queen Afua has helped many folks find "alternative" ways of living healthy. I find it important to note that even though there is a cult characteristic there, she's always been very intentional about not requiring much from people looking for those alternative ideas, except a true desire to learn. In other words the word "cult", in its very technical sense, need not carry the negative connotations some people place on it. There will always be local tribes/cults in humanity. That alone seems healthy. What seems important, however, is that those tribes are willing to share their ideas and knowledge openly and honestly without manipulating or exploiting seekers of information. Queen Afua has done an excellent job of balancing the reinforcement of the local tribe/cult with outreach and diplomacy to the larger humanity.