When I launched The Conscious Voice, a Black art & culture magazine in 2006, I had no idea the concept would become a lifelong quest! I live to research and write about artists of color, travel to exhibitions, and explore museums, all in an effort to share these stories with the world.

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But the socio-political and cultural climate in America, has moved me to do more. As books continue to be banned - with VA being a top ranking state - and the already scant Black History is stripped from text books and classrooms, I see us headed to a place where historical and cultural amnesia is the norm. I see young people entering adulthood unprepared to navigate a diverse and interconnected world. 

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​I was a Board Substitute in Richmond, VA, in two different capacities - 9th grade English and Drama and 7th grade Exceptional English. I also grew up in VA public schools, studying works by Shakespeare, William Wadsworth Longfellow and Edgar Allen Poe. Not one reference, in either space, to a work by a Black, Latino, Indigenous, or female author or artist.

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This year, VCU, my alma mater, reversed the mandate on the racial literacy component of the General Education curriculum, to which I tweeted my dissent. So, the handwriting is on the wall, and it does NOT favor diversity and inclusion.

 

This guide is my attempt to go beyond the celebration of Black artists and to demonstrate how their artwork and stories can be used in education. By equipping teachers with robust resources, we prepare students for future leadership and empower them to challenge stereotypes and broaden their worldview.