FREEDOM SPEAKS DIASPORA’S BIOGRAPHY

Freedom Speaks, who was professionally trained in dance at Bernice Johnson’s Cultural Arts Center in New York, and therefore grew up dancing in front of thousands at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center, launched her spoken word career after winning the first poetry slam she entered, which earned her the opportunity to open for Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam on Broadway at Atlanta’s Fox Theater. From there, she opened for the U.S. Human Rights Network National Conference, Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney's Sister to Sister Workshops, and appeared on Robert Townsend’s “Spoken” on The Black Family Channel. She has also performed at The Spoken Word Expo, Proctor & Gamble’s Pantene Total You Tour, Girls in the Night, the 9th Annual World Natural Hair and Beauty Show, and she was a guest performer and judge at V103 and Littel Concepts’ First Word Youth Slam.

Since then, her work was published in the United States and Africa in The African Journal of New Poetry: Beyond Subjectifactory Structures. Working with old and young, Speaks facilitated her Promises Motivational Workshop™ at The DeKalb Senior Center during Women’s Health Week and was a performer and panelist at Oakhurst Medical Center's Hip Hop Health Summit held at the Tupac Amaru Shakur Performing Arts Center.

Her poetry products include a two CDs, “Roadblocks to Righteousness and Revolution” and “A Taste of Freedom”, a DVD titled "A Taste of Freedom," two poetry books, Soul Witness (Completely Revised), and Speak, Poet! and an apparel line Live Spoken Word or Die Unheard™ and I Love Oral…Poetry!™         

In the community, the former New York State NAACP Youth & College Division President is now the Artistic Director of Griotsville Foundation, a grassroots organization dedicated to educating and empowering the community with spoken word. She is the founder and host of The Village Venue, family-oriented poetry read that began in Atlanta, and will resume as an online radio show. 

Using her young appearance to connect with students, the thirty-year-old speaker offers the Reverse Psychology Program™ to institutions to help correct some students’ negative thought patterns and behaviors. Other workshop, lecture, and program topics include pregnancy and dropout prevention, creative writing, public speaking, stage performance, self-motivation, and political themes.  

Speaks is the owner of Freedom Speaks Ink, which offers writing, editing, consulting and coaching services, as well as Sun Cycle Publishing, which focuses on publishing progressive literature and work authored by children. She anticipates the release of her debut and sophomore novels, Manjani and Initiated Men.

Fondly called Mama Freedom by children in the community and Dr. Freedom by “patients,” Speaks is a proud wife and home schooling mother who studies and utilizes naturopathic medicine. On stage and off, she continues to be an invaluable asset to the African-American Literary and Performing Arts communities.