Artist Statement

I am a visual artist, musical artist, educator, and community member who, in addition to creating as an act of service, creates to resist and to struggle for outcomes rooted in abolitionist frameworks.

I grew up in a household reared by a set of parents who were not privy to issues that negatively affected the inequalities of the Black community due to the burdens and challenges they faced that demanded their full attention. My parents’ relationship to race, politics, and identity was rooted in surviving the crack crisis. Consequently, survival also consumed my thoughts until the age of 21 when I witnessed the nation’s reaction to Trayvon Martin’s murder. Up until that point, I had no real relationship to race and what it meant to not only the American project itself but also to the material experiences of black people around the world. I formed a deep interest in the history of black resistance, and what resisting meant and can mean to modern-day organizing for freedom.

My artwork offers social commentary on state violence while provoking critical reflection on the lives and sacrifices of those who have shaped the ongoing struggle for Black liberation. By centering historical figures and pivotal moments, my practice contributes to a broader discourse on the Black contemporary experience—reminding us that the fight for freedom has always come at a cost and continues to demand urgent, collective commitment.

My visual works (paintings) are presented alongside original musical works (songs). The interplay between these mediums throughout my catalog creates an immersive experience and offers an opportunity to engage with the underlying perspectives and ideas that shaped my creative process.

Bio 

I am a multi-medium artist from Watts, California who has dedicated my career to carceral work centered on education, justice, and transformation. My experiences programming in carceral institutions, both domestically and internationally, have deeply influenced the development of The Field—an organization I created to leverage the arts as a source of social-political education, healing, and community building. One of the core programs of The Field is The Story From Within (TSFW), it uses storytelling as a transformative healing modality to help reawaken parts of one self that have been silenced by state violence—specifically the violence embedded in education, incarceration, and the criminal legal system.

At the heart of TSFW is the use of creative expression as a method for pedagogical engagement. By working with artists, activists, and advocates, we create entry points for discussions around identity, material conditions, community, and other sociopolitical topics that shape the experiences of the students we work with. Through engagement with music, reading excerpts, visuals, and other forms of art, students develop the skills to use a variety of artistic mediums for self-expression, self-regulation, and healing.

In addition to my work with The Field, I hold a Master of Arts in Social and Cultural Analysis from New York University (NYU). I am also a 2025 Create Change Artist-in-Residence at The Laundromat Project. Currently, I serve as the Director of Education and Curriculum Development at exalt youth, an organization in Brooklyn, New York, that supports students between the ages of 15 and 19 who are impacted by the criminal legal system.