Building Equity

Building Equity for BIIPOC (Black, Immigrant, Indigenous, People of Color) Artists is a pilot program from the Jamaica Center of Arts & Learning. Supported by a grant from New York Community Trust, it is dedicated to researching, engaging and promoting underrepresented artists in our community, and to providing greater access for audiences to see and to experience their work.

2022 Building Equity Events

Litty_Committee_Presents_Poetry_Dialogue

Live Bomba Dance Workshop with Don Angel

Puerto Rico Report Back and Poetry, Part

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The Syncretism of Borícua Cultural Tradi

We Are Still Here - Caribbean Indigenous

KWANZAA 2020 Global Edition December 20.

Advisory Council

The current members of the Advisory Council are:

Carolyn Johnson

Carolyn ‘Ms. Candy’ Johnson has earned five college degrees from the City University of New York, Queens College. Bachelors Degrees in Sociology, English and Theatre Dance; a Master of Arts in Sociology and Master of Science in Secondary Education and Youth Services. Her passion and dedication to youth lead to her position as, Program Director with The Child Center of NY at Preparatory Academy for Writers (PAW). She has created an atmosphere of family within a campus style school; gaining the attention of her agency’s Executive Leadership she received the Russell L. Carson Service Award in 2021 as well as The Melanin Magic Gala Women Of Distinction Award in 2019.

Indo Aboki

Born in New York and raised in Nigeria, Kenya and Brasil, Indo is constantly inspired by her African and South American upbringing. She is a graduate of the acclaimed Fashion Institute of Technology with a BFA in fashion design.

Her Brand: Indo Lami is a fusion between traditional cultures and contemporary fashion, paying homage to her history and looking forward to creating a future with minimum carbon footprint. Indo Lami strives to support local textile industries based in Africa as well as working with local artisans to create clothes that are socially and environmentally conscious.

Katharine Pettit

(Director/Choreographer)
Katharine Pettit is a NYC based Director/Choreographer and Founder/Artistic Director of Katharine Pettit Creative - KPC, which equally stands for Keeping People Connected.
Katharine founded KPC in 2016 to spotlight social injustices using dance as our universal language, changing minds by opening hearts through movement. Katharine continues to build relationships within the dance and theater community to create spaces where we center and celebrate marginalized humans, particularly BIIPOC & LGBTQ+ folx, believing in doing so we will decolonize the performing arts community and dismantle racism, homophobia, transphobia and ableism together. https://www.katharinepettitcreative.com/

Lisa D. Wade

A Queens-based intuitive visual artist, Lisa uses photography, mixed media, clay, assemblage and collage. She has had solo and group exhibitions in Queens, NY, Elmont, NY, and the Bronx, NY since 2017. Her work represents the confluence of intuition with the material. She is a conjurer of the material with a dash of magic. She approaches her creations in service to her guides and allows the art to manifest in a form of its choosing. In addition, she has curated photography exhibitions, co-written arts grants and worked on arts committees to produce several exhibits. She now serves as Historian for Historic Addisleigh Park, Queens archiving and creating tours.

Magaly Colimon-Christopher

Actress/Playwright/Director/Producer, Magaly Colimon-Christopher is a first-generation Haitian American. She writes new works from a viewpoint heavily influenced by the complexities and wonders of Haitian culture, Haitian Diaspora, and history. She is the Producing Artistic Director and Founder of Conch Shell Productions – the presenters of Conch Shell International Film Fest, Reset Series, #bluelightseries and Hear Her Call Caribbean American Theatre Festival. Her company’s mission is to develop/workshop/produce new works by Caribbean Diaspora & Caribbean artists who have a passion for innovative storytelling that inspires social change. To learn more about Magaly, go to www.magalycolimon.com

Marcello Di Russo

Marcello Di Russo is an Italian composer, educator, and administrator. He earned an A.A. in Liberal Arts - Music option from LaGuardia CC, a B.Mus in Composition with a minor in Music Recording Technology from the Brooklyn College-Conservatory of Music, and he is currently pursuing an M.A. in Arts Administration at Baruch College. Since 2018, he has been the president and an active member of the Brooklyn Composers Collective, and in 2019 he joined the Administrative team of Composers Now, Inc. Outside the music world, Marcello has an ongoing career as a basketball coach after coaching youth and professional teams in Italy.

Paige Stewart

Paige "Queen TuT'' Stewart; dance teacher at public dance schools & arts centers in NYC instructing youth, autistic children and mentally disabled adults in dance. Diagnosed with Lupus since twelve she inspires while evoking passion through everything she does. She performed in a wheelchair, crutches and cane proving that anything is possible. She danced for Nick Cannon, Lupe Fiasco, DMC & Ariane Grande, performed poetry off-Broadway, for Madison Square Garden Network and for the Knicks Poetry Slam. The Kingdom dance company was created providing free dance, art & poetry classes & professional development workshops for NYC teens and adults. TheQueentut.com

Persephone DaCosta,

Persephone DaCosta, Born of Trinidadian descent, trained with renown Master Dancers; Vado Diamonde, Rose Marie Giraud, Mikerline Pierre, Michel Kafando & Patrianne Edwards. She became a principal dancer in Kotchegna Ensemble, Bambara Dance and Drum Company and Mikerline's Haitian Folklore Dance Company. In 2005 she started her own company as the Artistic Director of Batingua Dance & Drum Productions LLc. Through Batingua Ms. DaCosta’s mission is to preserve, educate and celebrate cultural arts. Batingua puts on workshops, assemblies and performances that teach and showcase dances from Africa, Trinidad, Haiti & Jamaica. Her choreography focuses on building unity and healing communities through the arts.

Renee Joshua-Porter

Renee Joshua-Porter is a multifaceted artist with over 30 years experience as an educator, performer, voice over artist and playwright. In 2004 she founded, The Burning Bush Family Foundation Inc, a nonprofit organization which implements multimedia programs to aid underserved families, ignite women and redirect at risk youth. A regular teaching artist for Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation Inc., her brand of “edutainment” instructs youth in personal growth and development. She is an awarded community servant, and licensed New York State Chaplain. She currently hosts a web-based cooking show, “Working with What You Got' which empowers audiences to "un-not" their minds.

Richard David

Richard landed at JFK Airport 25 years ago as an undocumented dreamer. He currently works for an energy company, is an adjunct professor at York College and a District Leader in Assembly District 31.

For over 10 years Richard has worked in senior leadership at three government agencies: the Administration for Children’s Services, the Department of Consumer Affairs, and the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

He also worked as a lobbyist for Kasirer overseeing their nonprofit desk and representing some of the leading organizations in NYC. Richard has served for a decade on his community board and lives in Queens.

Sangeeta Ghosh Yesley

Originally from India, Sangeeta lives in New York City and produces shows combining dance and other art forms focusing on multicultural, multi-discipline and site-specific performances. Sangeeta is the Director of Creative Performances producing creative works in NYC, supporting the early and mid-career artists. Creative Performances productions are StylePointe, NYC Drawing the Dance Workshop and Dixon Connect Networking for artists. She curates two dance series at Dixon Place, ‘Fast Forward’ and ‘8 in Show’ and curates ‘Dance Bloc NYC Festival’ and produces a year-end dance benefit ‘30-30-30’ on Dec 30, each year. Sangeeta serves on the selection committee of The Bessies.

Shakira Polite

Shakira is a Queens native and Founder and Principal at Be Polite Creative. A women led consulting firm, creative agency hybrid that helps small businesses build better brands. She works with clients and brand partners to create and elevate brands, businesses and people by combining small business consulting, integrated marketing and strategy.

Shakira founded Be Polite Creative in 2020 after having worked over a decade on the corporate side of luxury fashion and beauty. She remains committed to building capacity in BIPOC entrepreneurship. Her client work has been recently featured in Forbes, Vogue and Business Insider.

Tracey Irvin

Tracey Irvin is a resident of Queens, NY. She is poet who writes and recites! Tracey is a former board member of a Co-operative development where she helped implement and provided, programs and events for the youth, young adults, and seniors of the Community. Tracey is also a Wellness Coach who implemented and facilitated Wellness groups at J-Cap in South Jamaica and the Psychiatry and Detox units at Lutheran Hospital which is now NYU Lutheran in Brooklyn. Tracey, an advocate for Wellness would like to use her experience and knowledge, to help broaden awareness in the Jamaica Queens area.

Tyra Emerson

Tyra Emerson, Executive Director for the first Collaborative Organization of Arts, Education & Business in Southeast Queens. Cultural Collaborative Jamaica has been the driving force and example of how community partnerships can work together with one common goal. Ms. Emerson holds a BA from C.W. Post, Long Island University and a Certificate of Nonprofit Management from Columbia University. Her accomplishments include development of the first festival that links the arts to economic development on ten blocks of Jamaica Avenue called the Jamaica Arts & Music Summer affectionately known as the (JAMS) Festival. A 2-day summer celebration of Queens.