Jamie LeShaé Jenkins is a freedom-obsessed artist and educator invested in preserving the genius of activists, elders, and ancestors of the African diaspora. To this end, she has engaged in field studies around the world including KMT (Egypt), Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, and Mexico (Isla de Mujeres and Merida) to investigate and internalize the culture and indigenous technologies of the ancients. J also heads the “Daughter of Dallas” initiative, an archival project that uplifts the unknown stories of Black artists, activists and icons in an effort to bring forth a more inclusive and comprehensive portrayal of Dallas, Texas.
Ms. J’s passion for activism and cultural studies was sparked at Clark Atlanta University (HBCU) where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in History. After teaching high school history in Atlanta and New York, and obtaining a Master of Arts in Teaching from National University; she became a social justice coach and curriculum designer for educators and executives nationwide.
Today, Ms. J serves as the Founding Executive Director of Building Opportunities & Opening Minds (BOOM), a nonprofit education ecosystem that provides liberatory learning experiences to Black & Brown youth from Kinder to College. Since its inception in 2016, BOOM has awarded $300,000 in scholarships and stipends to Dallas-area students and early career educators; and boasts 100% literacy retention and growth four-years running.
This Dallas native has exhibited multidisciplinary works at The African American Museum (Dallas), the Abron Arts Center (New York), The Black Woman is God (San Francisco), Msani HOUS (Carrollton), and The Pencil on Paper Gallery (Dallas); and is featured on “Natural Hair the Movie“, “Building the Bridge” and the “Positively Gam Podcast.” See her work.
Jamie LeShaé Jenkins is a freedom-obsessed artist and educator invested in preserving the genius of activists, elders, and ancestors of the African diaspora. To this end, she has engaged in field studies around the world including KMT (Egypt), Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, and Mexico (Isla de Mujeres and Merida) to investigate and internalize the culture and indigenous technologies of the ancients. J also heads the “Daughter of Dallas” initiative, an archival project that uplifts the unknown stories of Black artists, activists and icons in an effort to bring forth a more inclusive and comprehensive portrayal of Dallas, Texas.
Ms. J’s passion for activism and cultural studies was sparked at Clark Atlanta University (HBCU) where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in History. After teaching high school history in Atlanta and New York, and obtaining a Master of Arts in Teaching from National University; she became a social justice coach and curriculum designer for educators and executives nationwide.
Today, Ms. J serves as the Founding Executive Director of Building Opportunities & Opening Minds (BOOM), a nonprofit education ecosystem that provides liberatory learning experiences to Black & Brown youth from Kinder to College. Since its inception in 2016, BOOM has awarded $300,000 in scholarships and stipends to Dallas-area students and early career educators; and boasts 100% literacy retention and growth four-years running.
This Dallas native has exhibited multidisciplinary works at The African American Museum (Dallas), the Abron Arts Center (New York), The Black Woman is God (San Francisco), Msani HOUS (Carrollton), and The Pencil on Paper Gallery (Dallas); and is featured on “Natural Hair the Movie“, “Building the Bridge” and the “Positively Gam Podcast.” See her work.
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