Khadijah Ali-Coleman is founder of So Our Youth Aspire (SOYA), LLC and co-founder of Liberated Muse Productions, the founding group of the Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest. She is a freelance writer who has appeared in numerous print and online publications including Honey Magazine, the Washington Informer and Ymib.com. She's covered stories ranging from racial profiling of black youth to the growing trend of young people opting to stay inside rather than play outdoors. She's interviewed such controversial figures such as former DC mayor-turned council member Marion Barry and done various articles that have brought awareness to the prison industrial complex and its target of people of color.She pens an arts column in the Washington DC-based monthly paper East of the River, showcasing talent hailing from the Washington DC area. She has covered such talented acts as go-go phenoms Mambo Sauce, actress Eisa Davis, singer Sy Smith and dance troupe members from Step Afrika!Lastly, Khadijah is a perfomer, known on stage as Moon. She has appeared on the television show "Showtime at the Apollo" and has appeared in various venues nationally and locally as a singer. She has acted in stage presentations of "The Medea Myth", "The Life", and "The Vagina Monologues". She is a member of the arts collective The Saartjie Project which will perform on August 22 and 23, 2008 a play written by Jessica Solomon. The unnamed play examines the politics of the Black Woman's body. As a director and creative writer, Khadijah produced in February 2008 the play "Shades of Black: a thought in progress". The play debuted in Baltimore, Maryland on the campus of Morgan State University. Khadijah's creative writing has also appeared in different places, including recently in the online literary magazine Flask and Pen.She will soon publish a poetry chapbook "Legacy of Lovely" and is working ..ing the book "Being Heard Through the Noise: A Youth Worker's Guide to Working with Urban Youth". Khadijah continues to write music and does occasional studio work, collaborations and backing vocals for events. You can contact her at
[email protected] for business inquiries.
