Latasha Alcindor presents Women’s Truth

Latasha Alcindor, also informally addressed as “LA,”  is an independent artist based out of New York City. Her form-free art travels through a wide range of inspiration found in Experimental, Dance, Jazz, Electronic and Hip Hop music. LA’s energetic calls and performance-based sound have opened doors for her to perform at culturally prestigious events like SXSW, A3C, and Manifesto. In the beginning of 2016, she performed as the headlining act for Brooklyn Museum’s First Saturdays and had her music featured on Refinery 29’s  show The Skinny. Latasha finds resonance in speaking on political, social and cultural experiences in her music, promoting a much needed agenda for those looking to find inner peace, specifically young women of color. With all of her depth, the beauty in LA’s creative style exists due to the juxtaposition of both her thought-provoking, influential messages and her blithe, unbound sound that carries in strong vibration. Her journey is continuous, and with a nonrestrictive formula it actively speaks to those that come across her experiences.

As a producer, vocalist, and songwriter, the triple-threat has already established herself as one of New York’s finest alternative artists. In the Winter of 2015, Sumner released her debut EP “To the Almost” – produced by Avi Gunther (Snarky Puppy, Lalah Hathaway) to critical acclaim.

http://hannahsumnermusic.com/

Eclectic at heart and passionate by nature, Snap is a DJ with an unmatched love for all things music, art and self expression. Snap is way more than the typical 23 year old girl from Newark. Having studied film, photography, media, music production and engineering she is a multifaceted, multidisciplined creative force. After blossoming from a Full Sail Recording Arts Graduate into positions such as Studio Manager at Brooklyn’s Dungeon Beach Studios, Assistant Engineer at Converse Rubber Tracks and Assistant Engineer at Brooklyn’s newest most promising venue Baby’s All Right, Snap decided the most fulfilling space in the music scene was with the people, in the middle of it all. And with that, she decided to hone in on one of her many freelance talents, forging a her path as a DJ. Her boundless music selection and girl power approach to artist inclusion has led to features on blogs including GrungeCake, BitchMedia, and Huffpost Beauty. Snap’s also DJ’d in lineups along side artists such as Uniiqu3, MoRuf, Princess Nokia and Chargaux. She dreams of one day commanding the crowd herself, as a headliner representing for music lovers and Jill of all trades’ everywhere .

Born and bred in Brooklyn, Monique “Orisha Love” Letamendi has been in love with theater, poetry and music for as long as she could remember. In an attempt to extend herself into other fields beside theater, Monique began to teach poetry and literacy in various state funded programs and non-profit organizations, such as viBe Theater Experience in 2014 and Sankofa Empowerment Program alongside her mentors Brian and Lurie Favors in 2010. Orisha (nicknamed “The Mouthpiece”) has extended her talents to various social reform movements such as #fightfor15 and performing alongside Make The Road artists standing up against unconstitutional stop and frisk policies. Orisha facilitated workshops for youth at the National Black Writer’s Conference at Medgar Evers College in 2016 and performed her poetry at Pratt for a #sayhername teach-in event standing up for victims of police brutality as well. From teaching young adolescents from homeless shelters how to express themselves through poetry, performing and supporting and mentoring young girls all over NYC, Monique is teaching our youth everywhere to love themselves, love their struggles and love their neighbors.

Michele Byrd-McPhee The tireless creator and director of Ladies of Hip-Hop Festival, Michele is always hard at work, not only organizing, planning andexecuting the annual LOHHF in July, she lends her experience andknowledge; helping artists develop their projects and artistry. Working on sustainability, and growth for the Hip-Hop community, and beyond. Currently, Michele is working with organizers in London and Paris for to travel LOHHF. Ladies of Hip-Hop Festival LA, kicks off May 26th 2016.  Michele is beyond excited about building with girls and women from around the world.

Akiea Gross is a child development specialist, progressive educator, writer and social entrepreneur from the DMV area. She is the Founder and Educator-in-Chief of Equitable Schools, Inc., a new nonprofit organization on a mission to close the opportunity gap for students of color by developing strategies that address the racial and cultural inequities in schools. She is the visionary behind the initiative “Black Teachers Matter” and the pop-up conversational series #MyBlackTeacher. Akiea holds an M.A. in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University’s Teacher’s College, two degrees from UNC-Chapel Hill and is currently working towards her M.S. in Childhood Education/Special Education. In her “spare” time, you can find Akiea traveling, hanging out with her dogs, catching the latest indie film or appreciating the world and its inhabitants from behind her camera.

M.A. is a poet, political strategist, media junkie and cultural worker. She received an M.A. in Arts Politics from NYU, an MFA from Bard College, and has received Fellowships from Cave Canem, Callaloo and Poets House. The 2012 Pushcart Prize nominee is the author of the chapbook Yolk, and was recently listed by Black Youth Project as a “Black Girl From the Future You Should Know.” Her first full-length collection of poems, Build Yourself a Boat, is a University of Wisconsin Press Brittingham & Pollak Prize finalist and a Fordham University Poets out Loud finalist. She’s a black girl from the Bronx. 

Sally has recently joined FreeTheBid, an organisation who pledges to give female directors a voice in the advertising industry. She has also spoke on Vimeo, Share the Screen panel, celebrating female directors, and was a guest on Art Girl Army film edition panel, an art collective of women who believe in their work, themselves and each other, passionately and unapologetically.