Project KnuckleHead is partnering with organizations and artists around the world to launch a movement to create deeper connections between Afro-descendants. Afro Unidad is a cultural connection movement born during a historic uprising and our actions focus on FOUR AREAS/PRINCIPLES; Consciousness, Liberation, Healing, & Unity. We are building a cultural movement and space for Afro-descendants focused on unity and justice. We'll create exchange and learning while combating racism and ignorance across the diaspora. For more information, please visit www.afrounidad.com.
HEALING ARTS PROGRAMS & #DRUM4JUSTICE
Project KnuckleHead has been supporting youth through the arts since 2012. We utilize the arts as a tool in the Healing Justice framework to “holistically respond to and intervene on generational trauma and violence and bring collective practices that can impact and transform the consequences of oppression on our bodies, hearts and minds.” In 2018 in Los Angeles, we partnered with a drop-in center serving youth experiencing homelessness or with mental health needs to provide therapeutic music workshops on #FreetheYouth Fridays. Our #Drum4Justice initiative started at our Freedom Fridays protests in 2020. Now we’re at Black Lives Matter-LA’s weekly rally to end police associations on the third Wednesday of every month (1313 w. 8th Street). We also drum in Leimert every last Sunday at the artwalks. Please www.projectknucklehead.org/drum4justice to learn more.
We also currently teach in Los Angeles county parks as part of the Arts for Healing and Justice Network. Here we utilize the Creative Wellbeing approach to serve students,
B.E.A.T. BUDDZ & B.E.A.T.S BEYOND BORDERS
B.E.A.T. Buddz is a program connecting youth across the country through multiple forms self-expression. The literacy-based social emotional learning curriculum is delivered through customized tablet devices with video modules, apps, and a digital library. The program provides students with the opportunity to create and exchange music, poetry, and creative writing projects. Through our B.E.A.T.S. Beyond Borders initiative, we have provided 70+ portable music studio devices to students in Florida, California, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, South Africa, Costa Rica, Mexico, Guatemala, Jamaica, El Salvador, and more. Over the course of a self-paced 4-16 week period BEATBuddz utilizes a cognitive-behavioral framework (B.E.A.T. = Behavior, Emotions, Attitude, Thoughts) and engages students through hip hop, jazz, classical, audio recording/engineering and more. Through the tablet devices, video modules, and BEATBook journals, students create a “My B.E.A.T. Mixtape” portfolio of writings, original music compositions, and recordings. Each tablet device is preloaded with 20+ music projects created by students across the country allowing students can exchange their creations in a penpal-like manner.
FREEDOM FELLOWS/ SCHOLARS
In the midst of Freedom Summer 2020, Project KnuckleHead received a generous donation that allowed us to offer 15 young Black and Afro-Latino artists/activists fellowship awards. Half of the young artivists are in Los Angeles while the others are in New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, Georgia, and even Lima, Peru. We’re excited to work with them to create inspiring content and workshops to support everyone in this time of the pandemic. Stay tuned for many creative projects, music, dance, visual art, children’s books, short films, fashion, and more dropping later this year! Learn more about the Freedom Fellows HERE.
KNUCKLEHEAD PUBLISHING
KnuckleHead Publishing prints inspiring material and supports young authors of color. Please purchase one of our books to support the mission and authors. Our books are read in high schools, colleges, juvenile facilities, and other settings. They are also available in book stores and libraries around the world. To learn more, visit www.projectknucklehead.org/publishing
KAHLILA WILLIAMS SCHOLARSHIP AWARD
This is a $1,000 scholarship that will be awarded to one system-impacted youth (see below) who has overcome barriers. This scholarship is named after Kahlila Williams, a youth activist in LA who has had her own experiences with the Foster Care/ Child Welfare System. She has dedicated her time to the liberation of her people and will continue her work. The goal of this scholarship is to award a scholar who has excelled throughout high school despite often crushing adversity- and to attend and graduate from college. Students can apply to the scholarship here.
AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS
DREAMS INTO GOALS (DIG) YOUTH SUMMIT
Project KnuckleHead created the DIG Youth Summit to motivate and inspire students at risk of dropping out of school. More than 7,000 students drop out of high school every day nationally. In the schools we serve, less than half of students graduate and receive their diplomas.
More than a thousand students from 15+ high schools across the country have experienced our DIG (Dreams Into Goals) Youth Summit. In post surveys, 98% of students indicate that they are more motivated to stay in school because of DIG. More than 70% of students visited a college campus for the first time. More than 90% of students also rated DIG a 9 or better out of 10 (with more than 50% of students giving DIG a perfect score of 10). For more details on the impact of the summit, please download the report here.
University of Miami University of Southern California Arizona State University
