Black Women in Storytelling and Modern-Day Abolition
Thursday, MAY 12, 2022
Following the 7:30pm performance of The Absolutely Amazing and True Adventures of Ms. Joan Evelyn Southgate, on Thursday, May 12, join us for what is sure to be a spirited discussion moderated by Aseelah Shareef, a dancer, performer, educator and arts administrator with Karamu House; and featuring Nina Domingue, writer and performer of The Absolutely Amazing and True Adventures of Ms. Joan Evelyn Southgate, along with Alana Belle, a local artist and activist, Dr. Karen Gilliam, an author and diversity specialist, and Dr. Donna Whyte, an author, educator, and diversity specialist. The talk is free for all attending the performance that day.
THE PANELISTS INCLUDE:
Alana Belle
Alana Belle is an artist and organizer from Cleveland, Ohio, whose work is dedicated to removing barriers to wellness for girls, women, and femmes – with an emphasis on ALL Black women. She was introduced to the arts at an early age and has been involved in various social movements for more than seven years. Subsequently, Alana has a unique understanding of the intersections of art and activism which led her to finding a home in Reproductive Justice (RJ). The comprehensive approach to care that is woven into the fabric of RJ reflects Alana’s belief that liberation can be achieved if our tactics are as expansive as our identities. She is just as proud of standing in the streets to protest police brutality as she is of using her words to expand people’s value to be more inclusive.
Nina Domingue
Nina Domingue is a Black Woman, Griot, Actor, Playwright, Director, Cultural Memory Worker, #NOLAGirl4Life, Teaching Artist, Intimacy Advocate pursuing Choreographic certification, and ever-becoming. She writes and performs in the tradition of those women who explore the interior lives of Black women with love, curiosity and wonder. Recent accolades include the following: Kilroy’s List 2020 “The Lost Plays”, Cleveland Public Theatre, Premier Fellow 2021, CPT Catapult Fellow 2019, Nord Family Foundation Playwriting Fellow 2019, Twelve Literary Arts Barabara Smith Fellow, 2019.
Dr. Karen Gilliam
Karen L Gilliam is the Chief Learning Officer and Organization Development Lead for a federal agency. In this position, she is responsible for development and execution of the Agency’s training and development strategy. Dr. Gilliam has more than 25 years’ experience providing training, management & leadership development programs and organization development consulting to diverse industries that include manufacturing, insurance, healthcare, telecommunications, and higher education. She obtained the designation of Chief Diversity Executive (CDE) from the Institute for Diversity Certification (IDC) and the Associate Certified Coach (ACC) from the International Coaching Federation. Over her career, she has been a staff manager, adjunct faculty instructor, business owner, published author, and elected politician, having served nine years as a council woman. Additionally, she is a lifetime member of the National Black MBA Association, a board member of Restore Cleveland Hope, Inc., and has been recognized in Who’s Who in Black Cleveland. A native Clevelander, Dr. Gilliam obtained her associate’s degree from Cuyahoga Community College; a bachelor’s of art degree from Notre Dame College; a master’s in business administration from Baldwin-Wallace University and her doctorate degree from Antioch University’s Leadership and Change program in April 2006. The catalyst for her doctoral studies was the story of the last leg of Joan Southgate’s 519-mile Underground Railroad walk.
Aseelah Shareef (Moderator)
Aseelah Shareef offers a unique combination and understanding of inspirational leadership, operations + logistics, organizational programming, and artistry, developed through intense non-profit environments demanding excellence, flexibility and the capacity to master multiple roles. Her experiences include being a national and international touring performer with Step Afrika!, the world’s only professional dance company dedicated to the art of stepping (body percussion); teaching and co-creating new Dance Department curriculum at Cuyahoga Community College; former executive director of Cleveland Contemporary Dance Theatre; Events Manager for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District; Director of Dance for Cleveland School of the Arts and Interim Executive Director of the Cleveland Arts Prize. Her current role is Vice President + Chief Operating Officer at Karamu House, where she implements operational efficiencies across product lines, has developed new arts residency programs, and curates socially and culturally responsive community arts experiences including after-school and weekend arts education models for life-long learners. She was a member of the inaugural 2019 Arts and Culture Leaders of Color Fellowship cohort sponsored by Americans for the Arts, The Joyce Foundation and American Express. Her community involvement includes membership in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., The Ohio Advisory Group of the National Museum of Women in the Arts (Board Member), Cleveland Arts Prize (Board of Trustees Chair), Ohio Citizens for the Arts (Board Member), the Greater Cleveland Urban Film Foundation (Board Member), Future Heights Grantmaking Committee (member) and College Now Greater Cleveland (mentor). Aseelah continues her dance practice through modern and West African dance and holds an MA in Arts Administration and BS in Exercise Science from The Florida State University.
Dr. Donna Whyte
Dr. Donna McIntyre Whyte has a long career as a higher education professional in both administration and teaching at Cleveland State University. She spent most of her 28-year administrative career at CSU as director of the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs from which she retired in 2013. Whyte is currently a research consultant with the Cleveland Restoration Society. Holding a doctorate from Case Western Reserve University in Social Policy History, Whyte’s dissertation title is “African American Community Politics and Racial Equality in Cleveland Public Schools, 1933-1973.” Since 2009, Whyte has been an adjunct faculty member in the departments of history, comparative religion, black studies, and urban studies. Among her most popular courses are the Religious Ethics of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X and Cleveland: The African-American Experience. In 2016-2017, she came out of retirement to serve as Interim Director of CSU’s Black Studies Program and Visiting Associate Professor. She is a co-author of the 2016 book, Busing, Boycotts and Beyond: The History & Implications of School Desegregation in the Urban North. Whyte is a former trustee of the Shaker Heights Board of Education and Shaker Heights Public Library Board, and currently serves on the city’s Neighborhood and Economic Development Committee. Dr. Whyte’s bachelor’s degree in Spanish and master’s degree in Adult Education are both from The Ohio State University.