o This after-school program uses parent-approved, research-based instruction to connect students’ personal interests with deeper cultural learning. By analyzing the beats, lyrics, and histories behind their favorite artists, students discover how lived experiences shape creative expression. Once they feel seen through the music they love, they’re introduced to the parallels found in iconic Black artists such as Thomas Dorsey, Miriam Makeba, Mahalia Jackson, Lauryn Hill, and RZA.
o Each semester includes a project in which students create digital analogs of Black or marginalized artists who inspire them, followed by a historical expansion in the next term. The curriculum also incorporates creative writing rooted in the works of James Baldwin and Zora Neale Hurston, examining how Baldwin’s biblical upbringing shaped his prose and how Hurston’s anthropological work in Barracoon preserved vital diasporic memory. Through this approach, students become investigators—uncovering history, lineage, and artistic legacy—before learning to transform that knowledge into meaningful, tangible work.
o In 2026, I plan to formally establish this portion of the program as a nonprofit organization to expand its reach and impact.
o This after-school program uses parent-approved, research-based instruction to connect students’ personal interests with deeper cultural learning. By analyzing the beats, lyrics, and histories behind their favorite artists, students discover how lived experiences shape creative expression. Once they feel seen through the music they love, they’re introduced to the parallels found in iconic Black artists such as Thomas Dorsey, Miriam Makeba, Mahalia Jackson, Lauryn Hill, and RZA.
o Each semester includes a project in which students create digital analogs of Black or marginalized artists who inspire them, followed by a historical expansion in the next term. The curriculum also incorporates creative writing rooted in the works of James Baldwin and Zora Neale Hurston, examining how Baldwin’s biblical upbringing shaped his prose and how Hurston’s anthropological work in Barracoon preserved vital diasporic memory. Through this approach, students become investigators—uncovering history, lineage, and artistic legacy—before learning to transform that knowledge into meaningful, tangible work.
o In 2026, I plan to formally establish this portion of the program as a nonprofit organization to expand its reach and impact.
