लेखक: Makeda Kumasi

Makeda Kumasi is founder and artistic director of the Umoja Ensemble of the Inland Empire and cofounder of We 3 Productions, which she developed with her sister, Alisha Mcdonald, in 2001. She has been a featured spoken word artist, including performances at the Ford Amphitheater in Hollywood and the Ogdensburg Theater in New York, as well as television appearances on BET”s “Fly Poet” and MTV”s “Starting Over.” As a West African dancer, she has performed with two prominent Southern California African dance companies, Abalaye; an Orange County arts group; and Niancho Eniyale African performers. She also appeared on season 1 of “So You Think You Can Dance?” television competition. Makeda’s interests in dance include traditional African and popular dances of African origin, from Belize, Central America. She has studied various other dance styles, including jazz, modern, belly dance, African Caribbean, hip-hop, and praise dance. In 2014, she received a professional development grant from UC Riverside to study West African dance in Senegal. However, she gives credit to her master teachers in America, Nzingha Camara and Mareme Faye. Makeda has received other awards and recognitions, including California Art Scholar in Dance, Phyllis E Williams’ Writers’ Grant, Top Spoken Word Artist Los Angeles Black Business Expo Urban Idol Competition, California State University, Fullerton, African American Faculty and Staff Association Scholarship, University of Southern California Black Alumni Association Scholar, Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations Presidential Service Pin, and the Ida Mae Holland Playwright Scholarship. Makeda holds a master of fine arts (MFA) in playwriting from the University of Southern California, a master of education (MED) from the University of Phoenix, and a bachelor of arts (BA) in communications from California State University, Fullerton. She is also wife and a mother of three beautiful children.