Our Presenters
Lumumba Akinwole-Bandele is a father, husband, priest of Obatala, longtime community organizer and educator from Central Brooklyn. Lumumba is the former National Strategies and Partnerships Director at The Movement for Black Lives. From 1994 – 1998 Lumumba served as programming coordinator at the Franklin H. Williams Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCC). During his tenure at CCC, he also co-found Azabache, an organizers training conference and workshop series for young activists. All the while as a Black Studies Major at City College of NY/CUNY. He went on to receive his Masters in Human Service from Lincoln University in 1998. As a member and organizer with the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, Mr. Akinwole-Bandele helped establish its campaign to counter police abuse and misconduct. He also co-founded the world renowned Black August Hip Hop Project. Black August raises awareness and support for political prisoners in the United States. From 2002 to 2007 Lumumba served as a counselor and lecturer at Medgar Evers College/CUNY. Fall 2019, Lumumba taught an Introduction to Ethnic Studies course at San Francisco State University. Lumumba continues to teach his community organizing class as an adjunct lecturer within the City University of New York. From 2011 to 2020, he served as the Director of Community Organizing at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Lumumba currently sits on two boards, the Center for Constitutional Rights and the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute.
Dr. Ayoka Wiles has over 20 years of leadership experience transforming and inspiring organizational and program development for arts, culture, education, youth development, and social justice organizations. Ayoka has worked with several community-based organizations integrating the arts, literacy, spirituality, and cultural education in programming for youth and adults. She served as the first Associate Director of Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy and then returned to serve as the Associate Executive Director/Interim Director of Finance for 5 years. While at Ifetayo, she also was a dance teacher/coach and managed an award-winning youth ensemble which received the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award recognized by First Lady Michelle Obama. Ayoka has led a consulting firm supporting nonprofit organizations build capacity; a Business Manager for the Village of Arts and Humanities, the Director of a Nonprofit Incubator at Resources of Human Development as well as Grants Director and Director of Programs and Strategies at the Brooklyn Arts Council.
Abusia means family, and Abusia Radio has created a sanctuary- a new home for the music that makes you Dance. For 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, there is a landing space where the music lovers, the marginalized, the misfits and the House-Heads are always welcome. Abusia means family, and Abusia Radio plays music for your soul. Abusia Radio was created to maintain Dance music culture in its purest form, rooted in the expressions of the Black experience. The station is meant to give the listener the same vibes as the legendary clubs/dance rooms, and record stores, but from the comfort of your phone.
Marcus Gonçalves da Silva, aka Guellwaar Adun, has used music, writing, and socially-engaged artistic work to contribute to the vitality of contemporary Afro- Brazilian culture in his home of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil since the late 1980s. Guellwaar is the co-founder, director, and editor of the first Black publishing house in northeastern Brazil, Ogum's Press—Editora Ogum's, which began publishing in 2014 and grew out of the Afro-Brazilian writer's collective, Coletivo Literário Ogum's Toques. Since its founding, Ogum's Press has published poetry, novel, non-fiction, and children's book. Guellwaar has also published his first book of poems, desinteiro, in 2016 (Ogum's). The publishing house mission is to publish black writers in Brazil, United States, and African Diaspora, translating them to add effort to our collective and international challenge of building bridges and dialogues between us. Guellwaar is qualified to lecture about the religion of Candomblé, an African-based spiritual religion created in Brazil by the people stolen from Congo/Angola, Nigeria, and Benin, as a practitioner and as an expert in the field of religious studies. He was initiated thirty years ago, by the hands of Ogum in one of the few remaining Ijexa temples in Bahia, at Ilê Axé Ogum Tolufá, by Iyalorixa Mirinha. After Iyalorixa Mirinha's transitioned to the ancestors' side, he found a new home on the arms of Oxum, kissed by the Paraguaçu River. Temple Raiz de Airá led by Iyalorixa Mariah Kecy in the heart of São Felix/Cachoeira, the birthplace of samba in Brazil. There, Guellwaar keeps his journey dedicated and committed to the Orixa tradition. He has bestowed the title of Aficodé, the one responsible for caring for the house of Orixa Oxossi/Odé, the hunter. In his artistic and cultural work, he creatively and critically senses the dynamic cross-currents and impact of history and informs modern life in Salvador. And he responds with songs, poems, books, and educational initiatives to speak to the beautiful complications of life in Bahia, the epicenter of Afro-Brazilian culture in Brazil. Guellwaar is an accomplished composer of contemporary Afro-Brazilian music. The Blocos Afro/African Brazilian Carnival groups, such Ilê Aiyê, one of the most prestigious cultural organizations in Bahia, sings his songs during its performances; Ilê Aiyê also recorded some of his songs. Four times, his songs have earned him 1st place in the Black Music Composer Contest held by Ilê Aiyê and Malê deBalê. Guellwaar's commitment to music education for the African-Brazilian youth, both street, and community adolescents, has also been an influential strand of his creative and cultural work. He's taught young people music and composition to celebrate self-empowerment and promote self-expression. Many of these youth have followed careers as musicians with musical groups in Brazil. Others are currently working as actors and composing for television and cinema. Nowadays, Guellwaar focuses on establishing the Ogum's Press abroad, preparing the new books the publishing house is about to launch in Brazil and the United States.
Mel Adún is an African Brazilian writer engaged with race and gender issues in Brazil. Graduated in Mass media and with a Master degree in Black Literature from the Federal University of Bahia, Mel Adún is also a specialist in script writing. She is the founder of Tobossis, a non profit organization that focuses in gender and race and is the Vice President and co-founder of the Editora Ogum’s Publishing Company. She has been part of over 15 anthologies (poetry and short stories) and has two children books published.
Whitney Battle-Baptiste, is a Professor of Anthropology and Director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Center at UMass Amherst. A native of the Bronx, New York, Battle-Baptiste is a scholar, activist, and priest of Obatala. She sees the classroom and the university campus as a space to engage contemporary issues with a sensibility of the past. Her academic training is in history and historical archaeology. Her research is primarily focused on how the connections of race, gender, sexuality, and class through an archaeological lens. Her research includes archaeological investigations in Nashville, Boston, Great Barrington, and the Bahamas. Her first book, Black Feminist Archaeology, outlines the basic tenets of Black Feminist Thought and research for archaeologists and shows how it can be used to improve contemporary historical archaeology. Her most recent work is an edited volume co-authored with Dr. Britt Rusert, titled W. E. B. Du Bois’s Data Portraits: Visualizing Black America. She is currently working on a project about the material dimensions of police brutality and anti-Blackness in our current moment.
JOAN ASHLEY founding musical director of Alakande! Spread Joy! is a percussionist, vocalist, educator, and composer. A veteran performer, who has toured internationally, brings with her a profound understanding of many magical instruments which is her great appeal to diverse audiences throughout the globe. Ashley’s path graduating from Wellesley College and retiring from The Con Edison Company of New York has allowed her to continue to follow her passion of music and creativity full throttle. Ashley has shared the stage with internationally renowned musicians and performers such as Hugh Masekela, Max Roach, Roy Ayers, Odetta, Sweet Honey In The Rock, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis. Additionally, she has toured with the enchanting musical “Edutainers” Women Of The Calabash, Opus Dance Theartre Company, Ase Drumming Circle and Edwina Lee Tyler and A Piece of the World. Ashley has created a variety of original compositions with a wide range of sounds and percussive effects, including a performance piece with visual artist Faith Ringgold. Ashley’s vast performances include appearances in notable venues across America such as, The Apollo Theater, Lincoln Center , The Village Gate, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Symphony Space, The Albright-Knox Art Gallery, The Walker Arts Center, The Brooklyn Museum, Zellerbach Hall, IMAC Theater, Prospect Park Band Shell, and Jacob’s Pillow. Most recently Alakande had the honor of performing at the Marvin Gaye stamp dedication at the African Burial Ground National Monument in NYC. Her collaborations with other musicians, poets, storytellers and dancers are a highlight of her career that brings her not only great fulfillment but also great inspiration.
Iyalocha Ernestine Belgrave is an ordained priest of 16 years in the Yoruba Lukumi tradition. As the founder of The Adura Circle, a weekly online prayer group, she is dedicated to supporting the spiritual practice of ATR devotees and newcomers by fostering meaningful and transformational dialogue between ordained thought leaders and the larger community. She is also an active member of Egbe Omo Yemoja, Inc. Iya Ernestine graduated from SUNY Buffalo State College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Communications and has applied her knowledge of public relations and marketing to a myriad of national and regional accounts that span across the sectors of lifestyle, hospitality, travel, food, beverage, beauty, construction, and entertainment.
Dr. Yaba Blay is a scholar-activist, content creator, and cultural consultant whose work centers on the lived experiences of Black women and girls, with a particular focus on identity/body politics and beauty practices. Lauded by O Magazine for her social media activism, she has launched several viral campaigns including 'Locs of Love,' #PrettyPeriod, and #ProfessionalBlackGirl, her multi-platform digital community. Widely respected as one of the foremost thought leaders on Black racial identity, colorism, and beauty politics, her commentary is featured in A Changing America: 1968 and Beyond, a permanent installation exhibited in the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Dr. Blay is the author of the award-winning One Drop: Shifting the Lens on Race, which will be republished by Beacon Press in February 2021.
Dr. Myrah Brown Green is an art historian, author, lecturer and independent curator. Born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Dr. Myrah moved to Brooklyn, New York to complete her BFA at Pratt Institute. She later received a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in world symbols. Dr. Myrah is also a professional quilt maker who has been quilting and teaching textile arts for over thirty years. Her quilts are in a number of prestigious collections including the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Museum in Washington, D.C. and Michigan State University. Over the past ten years, Dr. Myrah has devoted much of her time assisting artists of color document and archive their personal art-work and private collections. Her award-winning book, Brooklyn on My Mind: Black Artists from the WPA to the Present, was released in November of 2018. Dr. Myrah interviews women artists of color on her bi-weekly webinars, Voices of Art: Interviews with Master Artists. She is extensively researching the presence of African symbols in North American quilts for her upcoming manuscript.
Born and raised in the culture-rich suburbs of New York City, Ayodele Carter-Davis was surrounded by art, music and other uncategorized expressions of the human spirit. In her early years, Ayodele watched her Mom cut patterns and sew their clothes in the living room. From her Mom’s simple sketches at the age of seven grew the love for drawing. Art, specifically drawing and painting, has been the mainstay of Ayodele’s curriculum from the 7th grade through college. With a major in Architecture and a minor in Fine Arts, Ayodele built a strong career in the world of engineering and technology consulting. Never far from her art, she began to share her talents with the public in 2012 with her first solo art show in Brooklyn, New York. As resident of Manassas, Virginia for over 15 years, Ayodele held her second art show in Manassas in 2014. With the strength of two successful shows, Ayodele now shares her art each Saturday morning at the Reston Indie Market in Lake Anne, VA.
Chief Baba Neil Clarke is a master African-centered percussionist, bandleader, producer, educator, and scholar. He studied with and was mentored by some of the world’s master percussionists of his time notably: “Chief” James H. Bey, Baba Kwame Ishangi, Ladji Camara, Olukose Wiles, Souleye Diop, Orlando Rios, among others. An award-winning musician himself, Chief Baba Neil has collaborated and performed with countless noted artists globally, including Dianne Reeves, Phyllis Hyman, Third World, Norman Connors, David Sanborn, Miriam Makeba, Letta Mbulu, Mr. Harry Belafonte (for 15 years) and NEA Jazz Master Randy Weston (for close to three decades). In 2016, Chief Baba Neil received a Jazz Impact Award from the Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium. He is a founding member of both “Omi Yesa” the oldest African American Orisa music group and the legendary International African American Ballet. Chief Clarke currently sits on the Council of Elders of Dance Africa. He’s received multiple research grants and fellowships in support of his efforts, most notably twice from the BMRC in Chicago, Ill. and most recently in 2019-20, a highly competitive Scholar-in-Residence Fellowship from the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, NYC.
Iya Antoinette Obaforable M. Emers is a native of Harlem and Washington Heights. She was born to Miguel A. Emers which has provided a rich African-American Cuban foundation. In other words ‘A Plantaino Collard Green’ Life. Iya Antoinette a priest of Palo, Lucumi, Spiritualism and Eucharist layperson. Iya Antoinette is dedicated Mother, Grandmother, Godmother, Goddaughter, Community Activist, Builder and Poet. Her mantra is Pay forward.
Denise “Ola” Dejean began her career to Repertory Theater as a performer and choreographer with The Demi-Gods, under the direction of Joseph A. Walker. She performed with this company at numerous venues including the Negro Ensemble Company, Lincoln Center and Brooklyn Academy of Music. Ms. Dejean joined the Chuck Davis Company as a dancer and teacher. As a dancer, she traveled throughout the continental United States conducting workshops, giving lecture demonstrations, and teaching master classes. Through a National Endowment for the Arts artist funded schools program, she taught classes to senior citizens, the mentally and physically challenged youth, adults and children. Ola holds a Masters of Science Degree from Hunter College in Dance/Movement Therapy. In 1980, Ms. Dejean began singing in the Yoruba/Santeria vocal tradition. She has recorded with Heriberto Dalman, Milton Cardona and Amma Mcken. She has performed nationally, in Boston, California, Pennsylvania, Florida and internationally, in Panama, Cuba, Brazil, and at the Berlin, Germany Jazz Festival. Ms. Dejean was initiated into the priesthood of the Yoruba faith, to the deity Obatala, on December 1983. She is one of the founding members of the Omo Obatala Egbe, Inc. She has been one of the rotating instructors at the Orisa Song and Dance Workshop, which is one of the most highly anticipated activities of this event.
Ogundipe Fayomi A Brooklyn resident since 1969, he graduated from Pratt Institute after transferring from Hillsdale College in Michigan. In 1973, He graduated from Pratt with a B.F.A. in sculpture with honors. His work is in the collections of the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Arthur Ashe Estate, Medgar Evers College, Randy Wexton archives. He has created sculpture, jewelry and artwork for over 50 years. Also, as a member of the Yoruba Orisha community here in the U.S.,He has created numerous religious artifacts in fabricated metal, forged metal and carved wood. The legendary Nigerian Yoruba carver, Lamide Fakeye, gave me the title of “master carver” here in the U.S. Some of his Art Commissions include: He won the art commission from the NYC Parks Dept. for the Dr. Ronald McNair Monument, He also created a 5” brass model of the “Prometheus” sculpture at Rockefeller Center in NYC, He has created numerous religious objects and jewelry, for the Yoruba religious community of the U.S. and Brazil. His “Yoruba Pendant Collection”, which depicts some of the most popular “Orisha”, has been in production for more than 40 years. He also designed and created the original “Black Cameo” for Coreen Simpson Designs, which thousands of women were proud to wear.
Suzanne M. Henderson received her Ph.D. in African American Studies from Temple University in 2007. Dr. Henderson is the former Assistant Dean in the Graduate Division of St. John College at St. John’s University. In the time Dr. Henderson was at St. John’s University, she was instrumental in the re-formulation and execution of policies that affect all graduate students across the university. She taught African American Studies in the Sociology department, served on the committee in creating a major in Africana Studies on the graduate level, served on the Presidential Multicultural Committee, re-vitalized the Africana Studies professional certificate and continues to publish articles in referred journals within her field. Dr. Henderson is a subject matter expert in the religious tradition of the Yoruba people of West Africa particularly the practice of the tradition in the United States. Her groundbreaking research focuses on African-Americans in the United States who practice the Yoruba religious tradition of Orisha worship. Her previous higher education assignment was as Coordinator of Student Activities at Temple University Ambler. As a seasoned higher education administrator, Dr. Henderson planned and implemented various types of programs and educational opportunities that illuminated the value of scholarship and distinction in higher education. She is very passionate about conceptualizing, implementing, and adapting a full range of significant administrative services and programs that have pedagogy of learning and service that intersects race, ethnicities, class, gender, sexual orientations, and nationalities of all students. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Dr. Henderson graduated from Iowa State University in 1990 with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Speech Communications/Theater. In 1993, she graduated with a Master of Science degree in Education with a specialization in Counseling. She has a proven track record of accomplishments within higher education and student services. While working on her Ph.D., Dr. Henderson served as a Graduate Assistant in the Office of Student Life at Temple University Ambler. During this time, she collaborated with the Assistant Dean for Student Life on advisement and program development to agencies and organizations throughout the university. Throughout her professional career, Dr. Henderson has endeavored to enhance higher education opportunities for all students. Her assignments have included being the Coordinator of Community Affairs with the Institute for the Study of Literature, Literacy and Culture at Temple University, Registrar at the Illinois School for Professional Psychology and Scholarship Coordinator for a not-for-profit agency in a Chicago public housing projects. Even as an undergraduate student, Dr. Henderson worked as the Assistant Director of the Iowa School Business Management Academy.
Dr. Kokahvah Zauditu-Selassie is a Professor of English at Coppin State University in the Humanities Department. She earned her Doctorate in the Humanities from Clark Atlanta University. She is the author of “I Got a Home in Dat Rock: Memory, Orisa, and Yoruba Spiritual Identity in African American Literature” in Orisa: Yoruba Gods and Spiritual Identity in Africa and the Diaspora, as well as several journal articles including, “Women Who Know Things: African Epistemologies, Ecocriticism, and Female Spiritual Authority in the Novels of Toni Morrison, Dancing Between Two Realms: Sacred Resistance and Remembrance in African American Culture. She is also the author of an award-winning book of critical essays titled, African Spiritual Traditions in the Novels of Toni Morrison a 2009 publication of the University Press of Florida. Her research focuses on highlighting ritual acts of memory and resistance. A priest of Obàtálá in the Lukumi Yoruba tradition, she is a descendant of a matrilineal group of Vodun believers from New Orleans, Louisiana. Currently she is studying the traditions of Osain in the Lukumi system and in other global African cultures, as well as indigenous systems in the Americas. Her current publication is a novel titled, The Second Line.
Wilhelmina Grant-Cooper is a self-taught visual artist who transforms found objects and mixed media into assemblage art. As an arts instructor she uses the arts to nurture the creativity of cancer patients, their families, and staff in healthcare settings. She also guides elderly participants through arts projects at senior centers and conducts art workshops for the general public in her Washington Heights art studio. Wilhelmina is the founder of SISTAAH, Inc. (Survivors Inspiring Sisters Through Art and Advocacy for Health), an arts-based non-profit organization which seeks to inform, encourage and facilitate access to early detection of breast cancer by connecting the medically underserved to free screening service information. Using SISTAAH, Inc. as a platform, Wilhelmina has launched successful grant-funded community projects: Saving Our Sisters in the African American Community, and the Harlem Hand Fan Initiative and Open Your Eyes Community Arts Project. Wilhelmina was honored with numerous prestigious awards for art: The Black Art Makers Award of National Conference of Artists, The Women’s History Month Creative Power of Women Award presented by New York State Senator Bill Perkins, and The Alain Locke Art & Action Award presented by The Harlem Arts Alliance. She was also a NoMAA (Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance) 2016 Uptown Arts Stroll Honoree. Her first self-published book, A Feeling of Fullness: Insights of a Divinely Guided Journey Beyond Breast Cancer (2016, Xlibris Publishing Company) chronicles the journey from the nearly missed breast cancer diagnosis at age 37 through her present-day life as an artist/author/health awareness advocate and arts instructor.
Jo Anna Hunter, Ìyánifá Omotinúwe, owner of Black Madonna Enterprises Publishing Company, has been involved in the study of Yorùbá Isese (traditionalism) and Lùkùmí Òrìsà religions for more than three decades. She is an Ìyálòrìsà of Aganjú and an Ìyánifá with an M.A. Degree in Cultural Sociology from the University of Louisville. She has lectured and written on the many healing aspects of Yorùbá Culture, and her experiences living and traveling in Africa, Cuba, Europe, Asia and Brazil. Ìyánifá Omotinúwe, is also the author of the groundbreaking book My Journey to Aganjú: The Òrìsà so Hard to Find.
Michelle Hutton Iya Michelle’s career has largely been driven by a calling to service her community as a spiritual advisor. Iya Michelle acquired a Master of Arts degree in Education from Grace Graduate School in 1985 and a Master’s of Divinity from ITC Interdenominational Theological Centre in Atlanta in 1989. Upon her graduation, she completed a CPE Clinical Pastoral Education, while working in several Atlanta hospitals as a chaplain and ordained minister. Iya Michelle then went onto become the first female chaplain to be hired by the Atlanta Police Department. Shortly after, she again made history by becoming the first female chaplain to open two federal prisons, one in Illinois and another in Brooklyn. As a chaplain, she was responsible for all religious services across all different denominations. She retired right before 9/11, and since then she has serviced the orisha community as a designer and as an iyalorisha ordained to Ochosi.
New Orleans native, Shantrelle P. Lewis, a United Nations Programme for People of African Descent Fellow, is a multi-hyphen creative and scholar who accesses multiple genres and disciplines to help elucidate African Diasporic history, aesthetics, culture and spirituality. Her directorial debut, in collaboration with GirlTrek, Daughters Of premiered at the BlackStar Film Festival in 2020 and won the Shine Award for Best Film from a Philadelphia based filmmaker. Her celebrated exhibit, Dandy Lion: (Re)Articulating Black Masculine Identity, has exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the United States and Europe. This work led to the publication of Dandy Lion: The Black Dandy and Street Style, her first book, with Aperture in 2017. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, NPR, BBC, Washington Post, Salon, The New Yorker and the Philadelphia Inquirer. She co-founded SHOPPE BLACK with her husband and fellow Howard alum, Tony Oluwatyoin Lawson. In 2016, after their Royal Wedding of Zamunda themed wedding went viral, it was dubbed as "The Blackest Wedding Ever." Shantrelle is also an initiated Lucumi Sango Priest. Also, a self-identifying Hoodooist, Shantrelle can be found waxing poetics about all things African spirituality online at Beaucoup Hoodoo.
Mandisa Mchawi Born into the Yoruba/Lucumi tradition and initiated in 1985 by Olusunmi (Lloyd Weaver) and Adeleti, Ibae (Wambui Mills) Mandisa Mchawi, Osun Moremi has been running Ocha kitchens for 30 years. Apprenticing with her ojubona since age 9, Mandisa contends that the kitchen is the heart and soul of the igbodu and has participated in thousands of initiations and ceremonies. Mandisa has worked in youth development for over 25 years and lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Kemba Mchawi, Ed.S is the author of Growing Up Yoruba, a book for teens and parents coming up in the Yoruba Lucumi religious tradition. She has worked in education for over 25 years as a teacher and education specialist. Ms. Mchawi's current social activism includes being president of Oloshas United Atlanta, and co-founder of Water For Justice, a social justice based organization, which formed this past summer in support of the struggle for justice and equality for black people. Ms. Mchawi is mother of three college-educated daughters. She works closely with her godchildren, and members of her religious community. In her spare time, Ms. Mchawi enjoys reading, writing, and walking the mountain.
Carlos Mena is a music producer and DJ that has produced music for Grammy winning and Platinum selling artists. A frequently requested DJ and resident at the world famous now defunct Output club, His eclectic sets continue to garner him the label of one of the hottest DJs on the U.S. circuit, having played at 6 of Rolling Stone's TOP Clubs in the U.S. Carlos is also initiated in the Lucumi tradition to the Orisha Aganyu and is also an Olubata. His program Ocha Talk can be seen on instagram and Youtube every Friday afternoon.
Kateria Niambi has a professional career spanning over thirty years and within every niche area in the field of marketing; most notably and namely as a subject matter expert in school branding and digital marketing. However at a very young age, Kateria connected with spirit on a different plane than others. A plane that didn’t manifest in huge and amazing ways until she was much older and drawn to the African spiritual tradition of her ancestors as her foundation for worship. As a spiritualist and priest in the Yoruba Lukumi tradition, Kateria eventually found her path to alignment with Source and everything that comes with that: a greater desire to help others on their personal journey as she travels on her own. Now as The Hungry Medium, her goal is sincere; to inspire folks to make a shift. Whether it’s lowering or eliminating the consumption of animal products to fight disease or feeling “lighter” in our everyday lives, she hopes to impart techniques she uses to move in this world with intention and prayer.
Daniel José Older is the New York Times bestselling author of the Middle Grade historical fantasy series Dactyl Hill Squad, The Book of Lost Saints, the Bone Street Rumba urban fantasy series, Star Wars: Last Shot, and the award winning Young Adult series the Shadowshaper Cypher, which won the International Latino Book Award and was shortlisted for the Kirkus Prize in Young Readers’ Literature, the Andre Norton Award, the Locus, the Mythopoeic Award, and named one of Esquire’s 80 Books Every Person Should Read. He is a lead story architect on the Star Wars cross platform initiative The High Republic. He co-wrote the upcoming graphic novel Death’s Day and writes the monthly IDW comic book series The High Republic Adventures. He's been an initiated priest of Yemonja for ten years. You can find more info and read about his decade long career as an NYC paramedic at http://danieljoseolder.net/.
In her professional role as a Culture Broker, Verda H. Olayinka assisted individuals and families who were not able to navigate social healthcare systems for themselves. She has been a Cultural Consultant thirty-four years providing social science solutions in community education, public health, and integrated healthcare. Professor Verda Olayinka formerly served as an Adjunct Professor in the Africana Studies Department at CUNY Brooklyn College teaching “The Black Family” and “Black Women in America.” From 2014 - 2019, Ms. Olayinka taught “Roots and Routes of African Diaspora Resistance”, and participated in course development for the online course “The African American Experience” at SUNY Empire State College’s Center for Distance Learning. In 2016, Professor Olayinka published Activating Social Solutions: Essential Keys to Progress. By 2018, Ms. Olayinka edited, Ifa: Path to Enlightenment, which provides spiritual grounding to enhance active engagement in the continued urgency for social transformation. This presentation was written in response to repeated requests on social media asking essentially, how to connect with one’s Ori? Chapter 5: “Ori”, provides the foundation for the Saturday morning 9 – 10:30 Author’s Reading Room presentation, Ori: Sacred Language for Our Collective Liberation, at the 22nd International Orisa Conference. Please feel free to email VerdaOlayinka@gmail.com if you missed this presentation or for further information on “Ori.”
OLUDARÉ- it means, “God gives me the sanction to LIVE!” Oludaré is a Balogun (Priest of Ogun), Aponni (Music Healing Ceremonial Leader), Omo Anya (Sacred Healing Drummer), Dancer and Author of Breathing With Orisha. He is a #RespiratoryActivist and believes in #RESPARATIONS- a spin off of reparations that includes the freedom and time for African Descendants to practice intentional healing through the breath, song and movements of their own ancestral lineages. He is the Author if Breathing With Orisha which has been archived in the Harvard University Library as a living document that discusses the breathing methods of resilience for Black communities during the rise of the Global Covid 19 pandemic. Through Kìire Wellness, Oludaré teaches private and public chair breathing, dance, song, and music workshops that culturally restore African descendants, strengthen their physical health and fortify their spiritual practice. His work is dedicated to promoting wellness in African Descendant communities- and it all starts with the Breath.
Iyalorisa Amma Oloriwaa! is a passionate artist, community activist, leader, teacher, and lecturer. A proud Brooklyn native initiated in the Yoruba/Lukumi tradition often called to represents religions of the African diaspora in the interfaith community. Iya Oloriwaa! is a visionary who is the Founder and Alakoso (Director) of the Egbe Iwa Odo'kunrin * Egbe Iwa Odo'binrin (Society of Young Men and Young Women of Character) Rites of Passage Program. She is an Apon (singer of traditional African religious music) and an Oba Oriate (leader of religious ceremony) in training. Iya is a published author, and designer of Brooklyn SkaRunch Hats. She is a founding member of the Omo Obatala Egbe, Inc, and of the Ijo Orisa Yoruba Church, and has served as vice admin of Oloshas United NY. With Oloshas United she created the now annual Ibaye-In Memoriam Tribute to honor deceased members of African traditional communities. She is an esteemed member of Dance Africa’s Council of Elders Iya is most proud of her children and Egbe Iwa Alum Amma Whatt, Kofi Agyapon, and Oludare Bernard who are making their own mark on the world. She performs with the Kiire Wellness family created by Oludare. Iya Oloriwaa! has received many awards and commendations for her work. She is honored and considers it a blessing to be of service. She would love to hear from you at Egbeiwadirector@gmail.com and invites you to please visit the Egbe’s web site at www.EgbeIwa.org
Richard Onque is a Spiritual Advisor, medium, practitioner, and instructor for over 25 year. Additionally, he a practicing Buddhist, and a Priest of Obatala in the Yoruba/Lucumi practice for over 22 years. Professionally, his has been employed by a few Fortune 500 organizations for over 20 years. He has held various positions where he gained experience in management, leadership, development, and training. His most recent position, he was a recruiter for one of the top nationwide recruiting firms. He resides in New Jersey where he is a community spiritual medium, counselor, and trainer. He teaches classes on spiritualism, tarot, goal setting, elements, and religious practices. He is an independent business owner, who has a meditation CD, various spiritual products, and courses. His primary goal is helping people discovering their purpose, and development of self. His believes in the power of manifestation; “So Say It, So Be It.” You can learn more about him on his website: GuidanceByRichard.com and/or via email at: hello@guidancebyrichard.com
Vera Passos, dancer, choreographer, master teacher, holds the position of Associate Artistic Director with Viver Brasil Dance Company and is considered one of Salvador, Bahia’s most elegant and eloquent dancers. Vera’s profound and indigenous relationship with Afro-Brazilian movement and music richly infuses Viver Brasil’s artistic and cultural offerings. In her own words, Vera acknowledges the importance and impact that Bahian culture has in shaping the power and expression that she articulates and commands as an artist, “My culture is my inspiration, my feet speak with the earth and bring ancestral messages of joy, resistance and harmony.” Passos has taught the Silvestre technique and orixa dance symbology throughout the world since 2002. She was a principal dancer for the acclaimed Balé Folclórico da Bahia touring throughout Brazil, Europe, Asia, the US and South America for ten years. In 2010, she was invited by Viver Brasil to train the company, to perform and to tour. Vera’s dynamism and choreographic works grace the repertoire of Viver Brasil.
Peggy Robles-Alvarado is an award-winning performance poet and an initiated Lucumí and Palo Priestess. She is a Pushcart Prize nominee, 2020 Atticus Review Poetry Contest winner, and a BRIO award winner. Peggy has received fellowships from CantoMundo, Homeschool, Desert Nights Rising Stars, The Frost Place, VONA, and The Kweli Journal. She is also an International Latino Book Award winner and a tenured New York City educator with degrees in elementary, bilingual education, and an MFA in Performance Studies. She was featured on HBO Habla Women, Lincoln Center, Poets & Writers, The Black Spirit Solstice Summit, and The BADD! ASS Women Festival. She’ s authored Conversations With My Skin (2011), Homage To The Warrior Women (2012), and through Robleswrites Productions created The Abuela Stories Project (2016) and Mujeres, The Magic, The Movement and The Muse (2017). Her poetry appears in the anthologies The Breakbeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNext (2020), What Saves Us: Poems of Empathy and Outrage in the Age of Trump (2019), Latinas: Voices of Protest and Struggles (2017), and ¡Manteca!- Afro- Latin@ Poets (2017). She directed sold-out performances of the poetic play Live Big Girl (2017) as well as a staged performative reading of her latest anthology. Currently, she facilitates a highly popular virtual writing workshop titled Line Breaks and Bronx Beats and continues to curate writing and performative experiences through Robleswrites Productions.
My name is Baba Hector. I was born in New York City. I am second generation to Obatala Ajaguna. My father was made from Junito Yemoja and I was made from Oshun Kelly. My lineage is Ibaye Efuche Warikondo. In my mid 20's, I attend Full Sail University, were I was able to receive my B.S. in Game Art & M.S. in Game Design. After few months of graduation, I was guided, by my Ori, in a dream to illustrate children's books about Orisha. I have always been involved in Art programs throughout my life. And, I have also been surrounded in this tradition from a very young age. I was able to use my talents to help our community because in the 90's, there were no children's books about Orisha from what I experienced. Being an independent publisher has enabled me to connect the children with Orisha. That is very important to me, as a new parent, and for all our future generations. Ashe O.
Gloria M. Rodríguez, is a Professor of Psychology at Bronx Community College of The City University of New York and holds a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology. Her interests and ongoing research include womanist/mujerista feminism, cultural, spiritual, and social psychology. She has contributed chapters to: The Invisible Alliance – Psyche and Spirit in Feminist Therapy, Through The Eyes of Rebel Women – The Young Lords: 1969-1976, Latina Outsiders: Remaking Latina Identity and has authored several articles for academic peer-reviewed journals. Gloria released her first self-published book, You Are More Than Good Enough in 2011, which won First Place awards in the Self-Help and Spiritual categories, and Second Place in the Women’s Issues category at The International Latino Book Awards. In Fall 2018, Gloria was awarded Faculty of the Year award by the Association of Latino Faculty and Staff and in Spring 2018, she was awarded Faculty of the Year by the broader college community. She has also received numerous awards by various women’s and community organizations, including Hispanicize Positive Impact Award, The National Puerto Rican Day Parade Committee, Dedicate to Educate, Inc. The Caribbean Cultural Center African Diasporic Institute, El Comite Noviembre and FIERCE Woman of the Year,among others. Gloria founded and is the faculty director of Womxn Up! - the first Women’s Center at Bronx Community College and the only one in the three CUNY Bronx Colleges. Since it’s inception in Fall 2019 – Womxn Up! has provided innovative, intersectional and collaborative programs and workshops that have served thousands of students at BCC. Gloria’s volunteer community service record started over 45 years ago, with her involvement as a student, community leader, and social activist in her community of Brooklyn and as a leading member of the Young Lords Party in NY and Philadelphia. Equality for women was integral to the Young Lord’s philosophy and her history serves as a strong foundation for the founding, building and direction of DeAlmas Women’s Institute, a community-based organization, literally meaning “of the soul.” DeAlmas is dedicated to providing women and girls the opportunity to reclaim, honor, heal, express and celebrate their Divine Feminine power and potential – whereby transforming the larger society for a just and compassionate world. Ms. Rodríguez presents workshops, keynote addresses and lectures to national and international audiences at major colleges, conferences and retreats. Her signature program - the Guapa Leadership Retreat for adolescent girls has served hundreds of middle and high school young womxn in the Aspira schools in Philadelphia, and independent schools and mental health organizations in New York City. Gloria is the mother of two adult children - Nicole Rodriguez-Leach and Zaydee Santiago, and an adoring Lela (abuela) to Jalen, Talia and Lola – her 3 grandchildren. She is an initiate in the Lukumi-Yoruba religious tradition as a daughter of Oshun.
Laura Ayeshah Soaries is a Registered Respiratory Therapist with over 40 years of experience in the New York City Health Care System. Laura attended Long Island University Respiratory Therapy Program and Eventually Graduated From The New York City Health And Hospitals Respiratory Program At Coney Island Hospital Back In June Of 1976. She immediately started her career path working at Goldwater Memorial Hospital on Roosevelt Hospital and in May of 1978 Laura Ayeshah was recruited to work at New York Methodist Hospital, where she worked for 36 years up to her retirement,in June of 2015. Laura Ayeshah currently works per diem at New York Community Hospital to keep her license and skill up to date. In 1984 what started out as a hobby, turned into a part time professional African Dance Career Spanning over 15 years. Laura Ayeshah was a principal Dancer, Actor and Instructor with the following Dance companies: Izulu Dance Theater, Calabash Dance Company and Sabar Ak Ru Afriq Dance Theater, as well as a founding member of KowTeff African Dance Company. The past 10 years Laura Ayeshah has used her skills in healthcare and cultural arts to work with young girls and boys helping them to navigate the difficulties transitioning from teens to young adults in such programs as Egbe Iwa Odo Kunrin/Binrin Rites Of Passage Program and as an original parental board member of Ifetayo Cultural Arts Program. Laura Ayeshah currently serves as a Board Of Directors member of KowTeff African Dance Company and as secretary for the first Orisha Egbe formed in the USA, Awo Osun. As part of another need to serve her community, Laura Ayeshah was called as a founding member and administrator for The Adura Circle. Every one of these positions are dear to her heart, because giving back to her community and family is her number one priority.
Baba Solomon Mgbejume Omojie (Osundara) is an Ika and Yoruba priest living and working in Lagos, Nigeria. He was born into a amily that has been cultivating Olokun in the Edo tradition for the kings of Owa in the Delta state of Nigeria for 500 years. He initiated to Olokun at the age of 12 and is an Ohenren Olokun. Solomon initiated to Osun and Yemonja with Baba Olukunmi Egbelade. The Baale Yemonja of Ibadan and hold the title Amoja (sash holder) there. Baba Solomon has studied Merindilogun and ritual practice with many great Babas and Iyas including the Baale Yemoja of Ibadan. He has over 100 studens in the US and students in Nigeria as well. While teaching, he also continues to study and visit regularly with his elders. Solomon also holds a postgraduate degree in Criminology from Obafemi Awolowo University and is currently enrolled in a master’s degree program in the same field.
Alex Spencer is a priest of Shango who has been initiated for 29 years and been seated as an Oriate for the past 21 years. He is the proud father of a 12 year old girl. He is also an educator who has worked for the New York City Department of Education for the past 28 years, the last 13 of them as a Principal. He is a firm believer in the power of moral leadership in both fields of study. He also believes that as parents, priests and as educators we must strive to give what we were given and support others as we have been supported. As an Oriate he has seated one other African American Oriate and as a Principal he has helped four of his Assistant Principals go on to become Principals in their own right. He considers himself to be a student and teacher of this religion and hopes that through continued work and conversation he can continue to teach and learn from all whose who he interacts with.
Underground Revival is an entity founded in the truest traditions of Dance Music from yesterday, today and the future. DJ Josh Thomas's background includes his youthful immersion in music of the Caribbean, and extensive experience watching classics being built from the ground up. DJ Kwab has cultivated a lifelong study of African Dance and music, and has a deeply rooted understanding of Jazz and Soca, among other styles. Together, this unique tandem of DJ’s possess a fused playing style and talent for production that ranges from the international underground to the global mainstream. As the name implies, Underground Revival was born of an overwhelming call to help return dance music and the New York club scene to its roots: the broad spectrum of underground dance music – including Afrobeat?, Jazz / Nu-Jazz?, and, other styles – all being heard under the same roof in one night. Josh and Kwab have been able to expand their quest for revival beyond the trappings of their local scene. Their monthly residency, at the famed Oasis Party in Montreal, has become a place where lovers of all dance music come to sweat uninhibitedly. In addition to landmark New York clubs and parties such as Caviar Studios, Together in Spirit, the monthly House-Dance-Conference and Turntables on the Hudson, they have DJ’d on NY radio, numerous internet mix-shows, and at some of the most talked about venues in Washington DC, Montreal QC (Salon Daomé, Academy, Delima, Stereo Bar, La Panthère Noire) and California among many other places.
Assata Ketema Mchawi Assata, initiated at age 8, by her godfather, Alex Spencer, is an OloObatala priest of 22 years. Assata is one of several fourth generation initiates in her family. She grew up in the Yoruba Lucumi tradition under the tutelage of her godfather, mother, Kemba Mchawi and grandmother, Oseye Mchawi. She is a graduate of Egbe Iwa Odo’Kunrin/Egbe Iwa Odo’Binrin, Inc., and a member of Omo Obatala Egbe, Inc. Professionally, Assata is master of public health with a strong interest in Epidemiology. She has worked on several healthcare initiatives over the course of 8 years, including disease prevention and care coordination for underserved populations in New York City.
“Music has taken me to hundreds of places that 4 years in the U.S. Navy never did,” says Larry Washington. Early in life Washington was trained and worked as a mechanic in his dad’s auto repair business. Cars and music became the two loves of his youth. “Baba Larry” as he is known, turned his childhood love of congo and other hand drums into a career more than 30 years ago. As a professional musician he has traveled and performed locally, nationally and internationally – appearing in such diverse venues as basement after-hour clubs and Madison Square Garden. An arts educator, Baba Larry works with children of all ages and abilities. He has taught workshops and residencies in senior centers, universities, elementary schools and even day care centers. One of the keys to his success is Baba Larry’s belief that in order to teach/facilitate learning, one must continue to be a student. Among those he has studied with includes Chief Bey, Orlando “Puntilla” Rios, Louis Bauzo, Babafemi Akinlana, Felito Oviedo, Glen Weber, Babatunde Olatunji, Lazaro Ros, Felipe Garcia, Lazaro Calarga and Lillian Burchard. Born a son of Ogun, Baba Larry was initiated into the Yoruba priesthood in 1999 by Barbara Kenyatta-Bey and Frances Humphrey. He can still keep his car well tuned, but has added the tools of a woodcarver and instrument maker to Ogun’s pot.
Iya Lynette White-Mathews is a Priest of Obatala with 41 years in the Lukumi Yoruba tradition. Her godparents were, Ascension Serrano Rodrigues, Osaunco, “Sunta” Ibaye as she was affectionately known and Haydee Ramirez, Yomi Yomi, Ibaye. The year was 1979, and I continue claim and understand that receiving the ache of Obatala was a positive and pivotal point in my life. I received a Bachelor of Science, in Education from New York University in 1975, and a Master of Science, in Educational Administration and Supervision from the College of New Rochelle in 2001. As a member of Omo Obatala Egbe. Inc., I understood the need to join Obatala Priests, from other houses. As a member of the Egbe I availed myself for the greater good, by becoming one of the Board members of Ijo Orisha Yoruba Church, Inc., representing the Egbe. When my tenure was up, I was approached by then President of the Board, lya Barbara Kenyatta Bey, Ogunrelekun Ibyae, to assume the position of Executive Director for the Church. This was an honor as I as stepping into the shoes of one of the pioneers in our community, Alfred Davis, Omi Toki Ibaye. While attending New York University, I joined the Chuck Davis Dance Company. The company received a National Endowment for the Arts Grant to travel the United States, teaching dance and core curriculum through art. My first trip to Nigeria was 1977 was the highlight of my dance career, when as a member of Baba Chuck’s company I participated in F.E.S.T.A.C., an arts festival bringing artist throughout the Diaspora together. In 1992 I began my tenure with the Department of Education, retiring as an Assistant Principal in 2013. My growth in the knowledge of Orisha grew with a new understanding, when in 2015 I went back to Nigeria to witness the crowning of two young women to Oshun. I was home. I continue to return to Nigeria, with Obatala’s blessings every January during the Obatala Festival in Ile Ife as Chief Yeye Alala.
David D. Wright Born and raised, in the Peoples Republic of Brooklyn, (the second largest Caribbean Island in the World), DAVID D. WRIGHT (Sound Designer, Playwright, Composer, Radio Drama Producer/Director, Foley Artist, Actor, Audio Book producer, Percussionist), sat at the feet of the late Morris Levy and the late Nate McCalla, of Roulette and Calla Records respectively. Under their tutelage he became one of the youngest successful African American Regional record promoters in America during the early 1970’s. David compiled the first R&B Radio Directory which consisted of all the primary and secondary R&B radio markets and radio stations in the entire United States. David has also performed as a percussionist/keyboard player with the likes of the legendary Eddie Palmieri’s Harlem River Drive, Fonzi Thorton, the Coasters, Tommy Mandel, and the late Chief Bey. He has toured with, Mark Radice, Brass Construction, The Ohio Players, The Trammps, and K.C. and The Sunshine Band to name a few. David worked as a drummer for some of the great dancers, and instructors in America including the late Charles Moore and Alvin Ailey.
Amma Whatt is a life-long Orisha devotee with 26 years initiated to Sango in the Lukumi Yoruba tradition. Recognized by the New York Times for her “…silk-infused vocals…” the songwriter, vocalist, and Brooklyn, NY native has a unique musical talent that has taken her all over the globe. She was recently featured as lyricist and vocalist on the two-time, Grammy-nominated jazz album “Nate Smith + KINFOLK: Postcards from Everywhere” and continues to write and tour with the band internationally. When asked where her inspiration comes from, Amma harkens back to her experiences born into a musical family that immersed her in various African and Black American cultures. She was destined to become an artist with a universal appeal as she learned Afro-Cuban Orisha chants and music, and Sene-Gambian dance from her parents, who toured the world, performing professionally throughout her childhood. The American Idol Hollywood finalist honed her vocal skills at the prestigious Howard University, and released her critically acclaimed debut E.P. “Maybe” in 2012. While earning her songwriting chops as a staff writer with the Grammy-nominated songwriting team, Big Drawz Music, Amma co-wrote “Just the Way You Are” for Kindred and The Family Soul, and has had music placed in various TV shows, including “Running Russell Simmons”.TV viewers then continued to enjoy Amma as the singer of HomeGoods long-running “Get Happy” campaign. Highlights in her career include guesting as a lead vocalist/co-composer for improvisational funk group, Vinx and the Groove Heroes, lead by genre-bending impresario, Vinx. Now Amma continues to write, sing, vocal produce and tour, while raising two children with her husband. She is attune to the causes for social justice around the world, and as a board member for several Non-Profit Organizations, seeks to use her voice as a tool for advocacy and allyship around the world. Her current music is a modern-pop fusion of Soul, Afro-Caribbean styles, House, and Jazz, that features lyrical storytelling reflecting love, pain, and hope.