NationHouse Positive Action Center,
private African - American school originally located at 770 Park Rd NW
in Washington, D.C. I had the opportunity to attend this school from
1978 - 1991. Some of my teachers while I was a student at NationHouse
include Baba Agyei Akoto, Mama Nkechi Taifa, Mama Afia Nson Bonsu and
Baba Michael Anthony - Brown artist.
"Baba
Agyei Akoto was a respected scholar, educator, institution builder and
author. He was the principal of NationHouse Positive Action Center –
which has provided a rigorous African-centered education to students
ranging from pre-school through high school, for over thirty eight
years." Baba Agyei recently passed on December 4, 2019.
"Mama Nkechi Taifa is a native Washingtonian and life-long resident of
the District of Columbia. She is a social justice attorney, activist,
author, motivational speaker and entrepreneur. She serves as a Senior
Policy Analyst for an international foundation and convenes a
Washington-based coalition advancing federal criminal justice policy
reform. She has served as legislative and policy counsel for several
advocacy organizations, and as founding director of the Howard
University School of Law’s award-winning Equal Justice Program, and as
an adjunct professor at Howard Law and American University Washington
College of Law. As a private practitioner she represented adult and
juvenile clients before the Superior Court of the District of Columba.
Ms. Taifa has served on the boards of numerous public interest
organizations and has written and spoken extensively on issues of
civil/human rights and criminal and civil justice reform. She received
her Juris Doctorate from George Washington University Law School, and BA
degree from Howard University."
"Mama
Afia Nson, art had always been somewhat of a family tradition and the
driving force for every venture in her personal and professional life.
Afia Nson Bonsu was born 1956 in Trenton, New Jersey. She relocated to
the District of Columbia to transfer to Howard University from Mercer
County College Fine Arts program after a 2-year hiatus. She created for
academia, she created as an outlet, and she created as a means of
income; selling jewelry and crafts at various festivals and art events. A
mother of 2 sons, and a full time student, her determination, hard
work, dedication and vision were recognized with a spot on the dean’s
list. In 1978 upon arriving in the District, Afia began dancing with
Wose' Dance Company under the direction of Aiedoo Holmes followed by
Memory of African Dance Company under the direction of Djimo Kouyate
until 2005.
She also
performed briefly with Nation Liberation Arts Ensemble. Over the
course of 30 years Afia Nson Bonsu has painted backdrops, constructed
dance costumes, created approximately 150 pieces of wearable art,
produced graphic tee designs for organizations and individuals,
illustrated album covers, book covers and four children's books. She
taught, created lesson plans, and directed pre-school through high
school from 1978 through 2010.
In
1993 Afia produced a poster art coloring collection called
'Nationkolors'. She has produced artwork, textile and dance instruction
for a youth summer program from 1979-1998. She served as an art, step
and dance instructor for elementary students in the Washington DC
metropolitan area from 1998- 2006. She is the official creator of the
dance/step team 'Taratibu', founded in 1979; a program that has served
the community, and contributed greatly to the art of step along the east
coast.
She has conducted
professional development sessions for educators, sewing workshops, and
even life coaching sessions. In addition to her many partnerships with
various organizations and her amazing work as a private seamstress, Afia
also serves as assistant costume designer for select Caribbean carnival
bands in Antigua, constructing wearable masks and headpieces. Afia has
devoted every aspect of her life to her children. Though she has birthed
4, she has and continues to raise, inspire and influence children
across communities. “Now that [her] children are grown”, Ms. Bonsu is
actively reestablishing her art career. She currently manages and
facilitates an acclaimed homeschool academy for infants and toddlers
using art to produce original learning supplies. Her company,
Rhythm-N-Flow LLC, has been in operation since 2011and shall be
releasing the long-awaited and highly requested curriculum to be
accompanied by earning supplies inspired by her original artwork. Afia
Nson Bonsu has committed her life to serving others through her talents
and creations."
"Baba
Michael Anthony - Brown artist is a gifted multi-media artist who has
worked independently for nearly four decades. He grew up in what is
known as one of the toughest neighborhoods in Washington, DC, the
Trinidad section. As a child he began drawing pictures from life, and
doodling from comic books. At the age of 12, one of his teachers
recommended that he attend art classes through a new program titled
Workshop For Carriers in The Arts. This program was designed for
students ages 15 and 18. Unfortunately, he was turned away and told that
he was too young for this program, to come back when he was 15. However
the very next year he reapplied, and interviewed with the same person
who interviewed him the previous year. Upon realizing that this was the
same child that he interviewed the previous year, Michael was allowed to
attend the workshop at 13 years of age.
While
in High School, he continued to developed his craft, receiving numerous
awards in art and began to sell his paintings on the streets of
Washington DC through a DC program called Art in The Parks. He is a
graduate of The School of The Arts at Western now known as the Duke
Ellington School of Arts, and received a BFA from the Maryland Institute
College of Art. He did graduate work at Howard University. And has
worked as a professional Artist ever since.
In
Michael’s work, realism and surrealism are combined to create lush,
historical "dreamscapes" empowered with cultural images from our
ancestral past to inspire our visions of tomorrow. From his hands come
people and places of uncommon beauty, spirituality and pride. The
passion so abundant in his trailblazing works makes him one of the most
exciting and innovative artists of our time. And just when we think we
know the parameters of Michael's art, he astounds us with bronze
sculptures, that reflect beauty, power, and grace while paying tribute
to "the greatness sleeping in us all". Michael has been blessed to
exhibited nationally and internationally in galleries, art exhibitions,
and museums. "
At
NationHouse, I had the opportunity to learn about my roots, culture and
heritage. I participated in numerous Kwanzaa programs and events. When I
left NationHouse in 1991, I continued to recognize and celebrate my
roots, culture and heritage. Many years later, I learned that
NationHouse got demolished and shut down. Recently, I received
information about Baba Agyei's transition on December 4, 2019. I believe
that having a safe, nurturing, and positive environment aids in the
development of students and their academic success.
Father and daughter is a "complex one, and all the more so given that it has perhaps been explored less than other relationships." Unfortunately, the kind of relationship that I have had with my father is the disappointed daughter. I feel as though that my father was a stranger that I met on the street because of the type of relationship that I had with him. It's a chilly relationship between the pair of us, and I am quite aware of this. I became distanced with him when I was 13 which was in the Summer of 1989. I grieved for the father that I could not have for many years. When I was growing up, I experienced all of the symptoms of father-shaped gap. Yet this has also made me slightly distant with other people, especially men, who I always fear will disappoint me. I feel persistent regret at the fact that I missed the opportunity to know my father because he divorced my mother and remarried when I was 13. This creat...