Enlightenment New Year 2023

December 31, 2022 kicked off the 2023 Year of Enlightenment.  OMG! What an amazing journey it has been thus far.

Since 2016, after the passing of our beloved Prince, I embarked on a journey to celebrate his philanthropic and humanitarianism by continuing his legacy of developing youth in music and art and teaching youth to code. My work with Bryan Stevenson CEO of the Equal Justice Initiative and Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO of The King Center deepened my mission to advocate for change in the criminal justice system and promote the Beloved Community and Dr. Martin Luther King’s methodology on disrupting all forms of violence (Nonviolence 365).  My community work took me to the deep south (Ujamaanonics Civil Rights Tours) and prior to that my work on the release of  “The Rape of Recy Taylor” film, deepened my connection to community and my mission to strengthen and create prosperous communities for youth and families. 

At OMG Studios, our work is center around cultural sustainability in which music and art are essential to human survival and development.  Teaching Ujamaa Men and youth in Montgomery, AL to code delivered results beyond what I ever imagined when I started this journey.  Sixty percent of the Black boys in Montgomery, AL were illiterate, and the public schools had gone into conservatorship.  I felt coding was the way to reach youth and close the inequality gap.  Today, I have taught hundreds of youth coding classes in Montgomery, Alabama.  In December 2022, I accepted the Rosa Parks Leadership Award along with the legendary Mavis Staples in a ceremony at the Rosa Parks Museum.

2023 Year of Enlightenment highlights

OMG Studios Innovation Lab

“It Starts With Me” Be Love Community

Juneteenth Brunch

Juneteenth Story: From Galveston, TX to Minnesota