Lit From the Black!: Meet the 2020 Fellowship Cohort!
We are pleased to announce our Lit from the Black! Design & Tech Production Fellowship for Women and Non-Binary folks of African Descent! Mentored and trained by renowned Bay Area Lighting Designer, Stephanie Anne Johnson, these 8 fellows will work to harness and ignite the power of perception through the art of lighting, sound and visual design.
Our 2020 Lit From the Black! cohort includes a diversity of backgrounds, age, experience and interests and will be embarking on a 7-month journey of training and work experience in design and technical production skills for Online/Digital/Virtual productions. They will also be engaged as part of the production team for Bakanal de Afrique, an Afro Urban Festival, in November 2020.
We are honored to be able to provide this much needed and scarce opportunity to equip the Arts Industry with more professionals of African descent. This fellowship is made possible with support from Dance Mission, California Arts Council and individual donors.
The 2020 Lit from the Black! Fellowship Cohort!
The world deserves Black creatives; in front of and behind the scenes. And so, we are honored to welcome these amazing additions to our Afro Urban Society Family, to continue to celebrate, ignite, and uplift our communities.
We invite you to shine light on them by MAKING A DONATION to bring our Lit from the Black! project to light, and following us on Instagram @afrourbansociety, and Facebook, to learn more about our far-reaching work. We look forward to what our cohort has to offer, and are grateful for your ongoing support and uplifting of Black artists and creatives.
And so, WE GLOW!
Tanika Baptiste | Berkeley, California. Broadway World San Francisco Person to Watch Female 2019
Tabitha Chester | West Palm Beach, Florida. Tabitha Chester is an artist, organizer and scholar specializing Black diasporas.
Robert Norwood
Ray Ray Young | Pittsburg, California. Ray Ray grew up in Pittsburg, CA. They enjoy performing all forms of comedy and currently work as a software engineer.
NiQueen Jones | Oakland, California. Multi-disciplinary Artist and Educator, Creator of Roots & Culture Homeschooling, Proud Mom and Community Auntie.
Julia Douglas (JuDo) | Oakland, California. Even more than telling stories, I enjoy elevating the voices in the stories.
Chiefo Chukwudebe
Charlotte Christien | Dublin, California. I am a creative with a passion for crafting visual stories across various mediums.
Amariah Ke'Mia Williams | Dallas, Texas. Amariah Williams is an Event and Stage manager. She attained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre with an emphasis in Stage Management from the University of Texas at Austin in May 2020. Her recent credits include being the Third Assistant director for Love and Kindness in the time of Quarantine; Curated and Directed by Regina Taylor
Allysa Evans | Oakland, California. Lisa Evans is a black non-binary performer and cultural worker based out of Oakland. Their recent projects include “Blessed Be the Black and Crazy,” an installation focused on black mental health and "Confronting The Ghost of Willie Lynch: An Exorcism in Six Parts" a site specific haunted house inspired production.
Alexis Smithers | Laurel, Maryland. Alexis Smithers is a black autistic writer, dog trainer, and student trying to do as much good as they can in the time they've got. They are constantly grateful for the blessings that fall into their lap and try to spread those around as best they can.
Adrienne Edwards | Owings Mills, Maryland. A theatre studies major.