I have been in the business of writing, curating, and producing dope and culturally-responsive content  for diverse audiences since I was in the 12th grade when I founded Sankofa in the fall of 2004.  Sankofa was a Black Studies Social Group that  to the untrained white gaze of my high school peers  was nothing more than a dance and step team. In reality, we were spending hours after school learning the teachings of Marcus Garvey,W.E.B. DuBois, and Dr. John Henrik Clarke; I didn’t know it then, but I was building Black scholars as a 17-year-old teenager- unlocking a thirst for knowledge that would lead me to gain a deeper understanding of who I was.  

This curiosity of self-discovery began at Florida A&M where I earned my degree in psychology from Florida A&M: one of only two universities in the nation with a psychology program that focuses on the Black experience. I had the privilege of learning under The Father of Black Psychology, Dr. Kobi Kambon, and was fortunate enough to learn at the feet of Dr. Yvonne Belle and Elizabeth Dawson.  I have been blessed with the opportunity to learn from Dr. David Jackson, the nation’s leading voice on Booker T. Washington and the Tuskegee  Machine.  I earned my masters of applied social science (MASS) in History where I studied under Dr. Titus Brown, a foremost authority on Black education in the south post Reconstruction. I wrote extensively on the social-cultural contributions of Aretha Franklin and soul music from 1968-1972. FAMU carefully scolded, molded, crafted , and ENGULFED me in Blackness.  Now, I was ready to put the knowledge to work.

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My love for curating culture in the name of Black Excellence began in 2010 when I volunteered at the women’s conference on FAMU’s campus.  The role was small yet transformative as it gave me a true up close and personal experience at event curation, volunteer coordination, and resource allocation - all in the name of creating content for the consumption of Black audiences.  The thrill of logistics and coordinating a group of people toward a common goal was a rush I had never experienced. The following year, I successfully secured $55,000 in funding for Young, Gifted, & Black: The Re-Affirmation of FAMU Women and  also served as the conference coordinator. The six-day conference included a screening of The Black Power Mixtape and Q&A session, an interactive forum on sex, politics, and mental health,  a natural hair and wellness expo, a ball honoring Black women and their work in social justice activism, and a lecture featuring international activist and prison abolitionist  Angela Davis.  The following year, I stepped into the role of consultant  and positioned myself as more of an advisor and supportive position for the conference. I was instrumental in securing funding ($20,000), booking talent, and co-planning events.