Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Stacey Allen.
Founder and artistic director of Nia’s Daughters Movement Collective. The conversation centers around the power of dance as activism, preserving Black history, and honoring sacred spaces tied to African-American heritage. Stacey also shares details about her Juneteenth performance in Galveston and the deep cultural research driving her work.
📘 Featured Books
• Author: Stacey Allen
• Titles: Two children’s books inspired by Black history and cultural storytelling
• Award: 2024 Children’s Publication Award from the National Association of Multicultural Education
• Purpose: Educate young readers on the legacy of African-American heritage through empowering stories and dance narratives
💃🏾 About Nia’s Daughters Movement Collective
• Mission: To support art and wellness initiatives through the lens of Black women and girls
• Focus: Dance as a medium for healing, history, and empowerment
• Performances: The Fairytale Project explores the Texas Freedom Colonies and African-American migration stories
• Tours: Performed in Texas small towns and juvenile justice centers to inspire justice-impacted youth
💡 Key Themes & Insights
• Juneteenth Legacy: Honoring Galveston as sacred ground—the site where freedom was delayed but celebrated
• African Diaspora Connection: Stacey recounts her emotional visit to Gorée Island, Senegal, linking slave departure points to arrival ports like Galveston
• Freedom Colonies: Texas has over 500 historically Black towns built post-emancipation, which Stacey incorporates into her performances
• Dance as Resistance: The Collective uses choreography to tell untold stories of Black resilience, cultural identity, and social justice
• Educational Responsibility: Rashad and Stacey discuss the systemic erasure of Black history and the need to reclaim it through grassroots storytelling
🔁 Personal Journey
• Stacey, a native Houstonian with a degree in dance and anthropology, has committed her life to storytelling through movement
• Her work blends academic research with lived experiences, from rural Texas to West Africa, using dance to preserve ancestral memory
📣 Call to Action
Listeners are encouraged to support Stacey’s work, book her company for performances, and share her children’s books in classrooms and libraries. Visit niasdaughters.com or follow @niasdaughters on Instagram and Facebook.
#SHMS #STRAW #BEST
Support the show: https://www.steveharveyfm.com/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, I'm Rashaan McDonald.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
I host this weekly Money Making Conversation Masterclass show. The
interviews and information that this show provides are for you
and everyone. It's time to start reading other people's success
stories and start living your own now. If you want
to be a guest on my show, Money Making Conversation
Master Class, please visit our website, Moneymaking Conversations dot com
and click the b a guest, butdon If you're an entrepreneur,
(00:24):
small business owner, influencer, motivational speaker, I've got a product.
I want you on my show, So let's get your
show started. My next guest is the founder and artistic
director of Nil's Daughter's Movement Collective, a professional dance company
committed to creating and supporting art and wellness initiatives through
(00:44):
the lens of Black women and girls. Stacey is the
author of two children's books and recipient of the twenty
twenty four Children's Publication Award from the National Association of
Multicultural Education. Please welcome to Money Making Conversation Master Last
Stacey Allen.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
How you doing, Stacey?
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Hello? Hello, thank you so much for having me. How
are you?
Speaker 2 (01:07):
I'm great, pretty good, I'm doing really good. Stacy telling,
is your background on dance? Why is dance importing to you?
Speaker 4 (01:17):
So I decided in about high school that I wanted
to study dance when I got to college, and at
the time, I had to say that it was more
of a hobby. But as I've matriculated through my dance
education and then ultimately became a dance educator, I realized
the storytelling power that dance had right and I understand
(01:37):
how specifically as people of African descent, dance and music
have always been critical in us being able to keep
our histories and tell our own stories.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
So that's why dance.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Now that where did you go to college? Yet?
Speaker 4 (01:53):
I did my undergraduate degree at sam Houston State University
and I got a degree in date And I always
say that I had very supportive parents, because a lot
of times, you know, more traditional families are less inclined
to support their children getting find arts degrees. But I'll
say that my parents were a little bit ahead of
(02:15):
their time. They supported me and getting that degree from
sam Houston, a bastional of arts and dance. And then
I went to graduate school at University of Houston Clear
Lake and received a master's and cross cultural studies where
I studied a lot of dance anthropology and did a
lot of other research on dance and music.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Let's talk about that because I think it's important because
a lot of people out of fear, don't follow their
dreams based on what people would think, or people try
to push you to what they think you should be,
and I think it's important that you are living the
life that you wanted to live. Talk about the impact
of having that support system, following your dreams and living
(02:53):
a life without fear.
Speaker 4 (02:56):
Thank you so much for asking that. I think that
that is really critical. When I believe that God puts
a purpose inside of us, and when we are able
to live out that purpose and have support, I think
that the sky is the limit.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
It has been super critical. My family still supports me.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
My dad transitioned about eleven years ago, and my mom
is still very supportive of all the work I do,
my husband, even my children.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
I have a strong village, and I can just.
Speaker 4 (03:28):
See how their support really helps to bring this art forward.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Let's talk about this station. Because the power of dance
of activism. Okay, you know, because your dance and engages
social injustice and political movement, and through dance talk about it.
You know, you are really interesting and and I gotta
appreciate you even more in this interview because sometimes you know,
(03:57):
people say dance and they all they see is just
the dance, but they don't understand the story that you're
telling what you're dance. Talk to us about that, because
this is not a normal interview for me, because it's
always it's always fun when I talk to people I've
never talked to and I've never talked to a person
like you. And along the way in this conversation, I'm
(04:19):
more and more engaged because it's like I thought it
was this, but I'm realizing there's so much more.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
So let's talk about dance as a power of activism.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
Yeah, so there's a long legacy of people who have
used their art as activism tools. You know, artists are
some of the forefronts of the people who led movements
like the civil rights movements. And clearly some of the
things that we're seeing right now come from a long
legacy of dance makers who are activists.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
And so my goal in the art that I create
with dance is education.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
Like we've talked about people uncovering things that they did
not know about themselves. People feeling embodied in their own
selves have an autonomy knowing that they can.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Realize the dreams that they have.
Speaker 4 (05:11):
One of the things I was really intentional about when
I wrote my children's books was explaining African American expressive
culture in the history of it.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
So the first book, A.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
Little Optimism Goes a Long Way teaches students about who
Catherine Dunham is. And so I wrote that book because
Catherine Dunham is a legendary dance maker anthropologists, and when
I was teaching in elementary school, I was teaching elementary
school dance in a public school. Often my students not
only did I know who she was, but there weren't
(05:44):
many educational materials to support me teaching who she was.
So I created that right. The same thing with my
second book, d is for Dance Dancing through the Diaspora
is a through z of different African diaspora dance styles
for each letter, and it's very much informed through my
(06:04):
research and my travels and what I have learned about
all the powerful styles of dance throughout the African diaspora.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
And so that is my activism is.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
Making sure that people are more educated about themselves, and
sometimes it comes in the shiny package of a performance,
and sometimes it becomes in a book form, sometimes it
becomes it comes out through film. And so that's truly
my activism is making sure we know who we are because,
(06:33):
like you said it, you make the groundwork by saying,
when you know who you are, you can start making
some different choices.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Now, stasiology you stone in. Okay, I'm from Houston, Texas.
Everybody knows that. Who listens to my partcast podcast. No,
I love Houston, Texas. Now I'm no dancer, but I've
seen artistic dance scene throughout the Black community. It always
appears at events, especially culture tru events.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Why is that the case?
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Because Black people love to dance and we're good at it.
I won't stop that. No.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
Like I was saying earlier, dance is a critical part
of our expression. Even when you think about our ancestors
that lived on the continent of Africa, dance is what
told the stories.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
The Grios used drum.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
And dance to be able to communicate the history from
one generation to the next.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
And so my goal is to keep up that legacy.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
Yes, if any of you have you have you all
seen the movie Centers and that powerful scene whenever.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
I don't know spoilers, I'm sorry if you haven't seen it.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Upler that scene, that dance scene. I saw Centers twice.
So definitely he used music, he used culture. All that
was what made that movie significant.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
Absolutely, and so that is our goal with the work
that we produce. A lot of our work, specifically when
Nils Darter's movie Collected is surrounding African American history in Texas.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Our first show.
Speaker 4 (08:11):
That we really put out that has been touring for
the last three years. It's called The fairy Tale Project,
and the fairy Tale Project is based on the love
story of Jim and Winnie Shankle, and those are two
founders of the Texas Freedom Colony, Shankleville.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
So I know you've been, you know, playing around with
me about.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
Not being from Houston, being from Houston, being from a
different part of Houston. But did you know that in
Texas alone that there are over five hundred freedom colonies.
A freedom colony is defined as a historically significant community
where essentially, from emancipation through the Great Depression, black people
started their own towns, and a lot of those towns
(08:50):
are in rural Texas.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
A lot of them are in rural East.
Speaker 4 (08:53):
Texas and there's a significant amount in Central Texas.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
And so what we've been able.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
To do with Dan is tell the story of these
freedom colonies, specifically Shankoville. We have a performance that we
premiere at Discovery Green in twenty twenty two, but we've
been touring it over the last three years and it's
about that. And then from there we have created even
more work about African American history in Texas. We spent
(09:21):
a significant amount of time in Krockett. Crockett is a
small town kind of situated between Houston and Dallas, and
the women who created the Mary Allen Seminary, which was
the first colored women's college in the area. So our
goal with Dance is essentially to carry that legacy that
our ancestors have done and to tell our stories through movement.
(09:42):
And it has been a beautiful experience when we are
able to share history through movement.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Just yesterday, we had the beautiful.
Speaker 4 (09:53):
Opportunity to perform this piece the fairy Tale Project at
the Juvenile.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
Justice Detensions Center.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
So we had a group of about fifteen young women
who are you know, just dis impacted at the moment
and they dance with us, We get a workshop with them,
We talk to them about black history, We talk to
them about Jung teenths. We talked to them about all
these things, and we did the show inside of their facility.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
So we really find this.
Speaker 4 (10:23):
Work not only fun and engaging, but also critically important.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
For empowering people because sometimes if you don't know your history,
then you don't know your history. And when I say that,
because of the fact that you don't know the relevancy
of you when you step out of your house, the
culture that you bring, the tone of precentation that you
should be presenting yourself of if you realize you are
from king you are from Queens, you are from the Motherland. Now,
(10:53):
let's talk about the importance of Juneteenth, Okay, because I'm
talking to a true culture, a true authority, authority of
Texas black history.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
Tell us about the significance of June teenth, because.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
Now it's national, But you and I both know Texas
was way ahead of Juneteenth before it went national. Talk
to me station, So that's something we can agree on.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
As Texas Natives.
Speaker 4 (11:18):
We know that June teen started in Galiston, right, not
too farward either. One of us grew up, and we
spent a lot of time, and so I think it's
this is one hundred and sixtieth year of June teenth.
I think that it is critical for us to make
that pilgrimage, make that return. Not only is Galveston the
(11:39):
home of juneteenth, Galveston is the largest port that received
our ancestors west of the Mississippi.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
Right.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
So, just like I got the chance to take a beautiful.
Speaker 4 (11:53):
Trip to Senegal last summer, and I spent time in
Gory Island, where a lot of the slaves castles was
and as you can imagine, that was an emotional and
spiritual transformative experience.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
And what it really made me think.
Speaker 4 (12:07):
About as I came back home, it was like, you know,
just as these places in Senegal and Ghana our slave
ports where our ancestors were taken, places like Galvaston and
Charleston are places where they were receiving, and so they
both served as sacred and ground, sacred grounds that we
should be commemorating. And so I think this is the time,
(12:31):
during all the things that are occurring, for such a
time as this is a time to make that pilgrimage
back to Galveston Let's talk.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
About the stations.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
I'm talking to Stacey Allen, the founder and artistic director
of Nia's Daughter's Movement Movement Collective. Let's talk about that
emotional moment, because I've been there. You know, when you
go to places where you read about in the book,
you read it.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
And then you see it, You see in disbelief the conditions.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
I think that's what grabs you the most and you realize, Okay,
they went across the ocean and this was the conditions.
Talk about that emotional moment you did, that you had
and what was your takeaway from the experience when you
went over there.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
Step So you have.
Speaker 4 (13:19):
To take a ship like a boat, a ferry if
you will, to get to Gory Island, right because it's
not on the mainland. So even as soon as you
step onto this ship, for me, I have to have
full embodied experience. I could feel my gut dropped, like,
oh this, what if we get Like in many ways
(13:39):
I kind of went into a mini panic, like what
if we get stuck here?
Speaker 3 (13:42):
What happens? And then when we.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
Arrived there, what felt in addition to like the emotional
pull that understanding what our ancestors went through in that
Middle Passage, it was also coming to terms with the.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Hustle and bustle of Gorey Island.
Speaker 4 (14:00):
And in many ways, Gorey Island is a tourist attraction,
so like making sense of that in your mind, like,
you know, this is something that happened to our ancestors,
but this land has also been repurposed, if you will,
utilized for a different purpose. And how do you make
sense of that? And it's actually grappling with that is
(14:22):
what I had to make sense of. Galveston galvesin is
a tourist attraction. People come to Galveston for you know,
recreation and also like but this is also a slave port.
It's been an interesting emotional journey. I don't have all
the answers yet because I have been engaged in.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
Doing several returns.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
In twenty twenty four, not only did I go to Senegal,
but I also went to East Texas for the first
time since COVID. That's where my maternal family is from.
They're from a Freedom colony in Panola County, East Texas.
And then I also went to Mississippi, where my dad's
family is from.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Arts as well, and.
Speaker 4 (15:02):
They sew at a church called the Aki Chapel that
which is still in existence. So grappling with all those histories,
my own personal family history, that wasn't my first time
on the African continent, but that was my first time
in West Africa, which we understand that's where specifically our
ancestors are from. And then coming back to Texas and
(15:22):
being like, oh, a lot of this area we live
on our plantations. Like, grappling with all of that has
been definitely emotional journey, but I have been able to
use that in the art that I create and help
people to start thinking about it, because, like you said,
when you don't know where you come from, it's hard
to know where you're going. And so just helping people
(15:43):
to identify all these sacred grounds, all these migration stories
that our people have been through, has been critical in
helping them to reshape and redefine their own identity.
Speaker 5 (15:58):
Please don't go anywhere. Be right back with more Money
Making Conversations Masterclass. Welcome back to the Money Making Conversations
Masterclass hosted by Rashaan McDonald.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Stacy, you have figure that Stacey Allen Nia's Daughter Movement collective.
You have the June Teeth event coming up right, talk
to me about that.
Speaker 4 (16:26):
Yes, So we keep talking about return right, retire, return, return,
and I am asking people to return to Galliston.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Galveston is just south of Houston, Texas, like fifty five
miles and great tourist attacks and they do Marti Garl
down there, they do Juneteenth, like she said, started there
and you know, it really is an amazing level of participation.
So I wanted to give them a sense of the geography.
But also, do you travel outside of Texas for your
(16:58):
shows or have you all about the process of traveling
and doing your presentations Stacey?
Speaker 4 (17:05):
Yes, So our first strategic goal was to particularly travel
to small towns in Texas, believe it or not, So yes,
we intentionally we will be traveling outside of the state
very very soon. But step one was travel to small towns.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
Right.
Speaker 4 (17:19):
So you talked about how you've seen so much beautiful
dance in the greater Houston area.
Speaker 3 (17:25):
We all know, for good, bad and the ugly.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
Houston is becoming a well known metropolitan city for young
African American professionals. And so our goal was to really
think about people who live in rural places who may
not have access to a theater district or other companies
coming on tour.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
So we started off. We've done small towns.
Speaker 4 (17:47):
If anybody out there is listening familiar with Brandham or.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
College Station or Kyle Texas and Crocket.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
She made a lot of small towns in Texas by
the way, ladies and joke, she's so cuntry, Jesus, just.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
Start just throwing out some names, like y'all know. But
first of all, how they get in touch with you?
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Because you're gonna start throwing our names and small town
at least they need to know how.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
To get in touch with you.
Speaker 4 (18:11):
Telling Stacey, the best way to get in touch with
us is through our website www.
Speaker 3 (18:17):
Dot Nia's darteris n I A S.
Speaker 4 (18:19):
Darters felt traditionally dot com and to sign up what
I on our email is. We also are on social
media on Instagram at Nia's Starters and on.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
Facebook at Nia's Darters. That's the best way.
Speaker 4 (18:32):
But I will tell you we do have some tour
dates coming up in the South very very soon that
we'll be announced when we.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
Get to the tour days. Because the interview is not over,
Let's go to the Jeweteeth event. Okayay, that's happening.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
What time does it start in Galveston, Texas June nineteenth,
which is this Thursday.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
Yes, so Galveston, Texas. It starts at four pm. We
are partnering with the Nia Cultural Center, which is a
black art g and Galveston is on the strand to
two one seven the strand and tickets can be found
at eventowar dot com.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
Okay, cool, Now why you're doing that event down there?
Speaker 2 (19:09):
You know you say you First of all, I'm impressed
with your your passion.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
Can I say that your passion?
Speaker 2 (19:16):
Because you know, I'm an emotional person and I think
that a lot of people who live live live their
life are really engaged.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
In what they do.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
You know, they just you know, they go get a
job it pays well or that's the only job they
can get, and they just wake up not happy. I
get the impression they say, you're a happy person. You
really are at a point in your life where you're
about to change the world with information and autistic direction
to your dance.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
Correct.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
Yes, thank you better speak life and to me, I
appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
Yes, No, I got you because you know, because your
knowledge when you you know, when I hear people talk
emotionally about something that I want to come see what
you're doing.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
I want to see your presentation.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
I want to see because to me, I immediately went, Okay,
she needs to do a whole put on her website
all those five hundred freedom cities she was talking about
in Texas. I said, that seems like you know that
as big to me as Harry tumas you know underground Railroad.
(20:19):
Because the fact that if we don't know, we living
in the world today where people are tearing down information
about our community, denying us our past, so that means
we may not have our history.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
So when I heard you say that, I went.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
Okay, now I got an asd station. What is she
doing with that? What is she doing with that information?
And she put that information on the website if she
being the ultimate storyteller about black history in Texas, because
that's what I see you becoming, Stacy.
Speaker 3 (20:47):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (20:48):
So I do want to say that the Texas Freedom
Colonies Project is a project led by is the scholarship
of doctor Andrea Roberts. And there is a website is
www dot Texas Freedom Colonies Project and the site is
everything you just said.
Speaker 3 (21:04):
It has an at list.
Speaker 4 (21:05):
You go into the site, there's a map, you can
type in by county and you can find those freedom
colonies if you are from those freedom colonies. You can
also input oral history. And there's another side of the
portal that you know that are only for descendants. And
there's lots of work that has come out of that project.
And I am so thankful to be able to work
(21:25):
with the Texas Freedom Colonies Project through artistic expression to
help evangelize if you will, this large body of scholarship.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Im Tensing Station born to raise Houston, Texas knowledgeable God
degree in math. Okay, considered one of the leaders and
pillars of Houston.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Never heard of it? That angers me.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
What do we have to do to get the word
out as well as promote the fact that you are
out there with your dance, Nia's Daughter's Movement Collective as
well as just Texas a freedoms.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
Yes, the Texas Freedom Colonies Project.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
So let me tell you something because I know we
was joking around about being from Houston.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
I know you've heard of Freedman's Town and fourth Ward.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
The oldest sister works over there.
Speaker 2 (22:15):
She constantly wants me to participate in different fundraising events.
Speaker 4 (22:18):
Yes, yes, And then you also probably have heard about Independence.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
Heights that happened.
Speaker 4 (22:24):
Okay, okay, but Freemanstown is the one that most people have.
You know, Dallas also has a Freeman's Town. So what
has happened is that most people are more familiar with
the freedom towns that are in a major metropolitan area.
The part that people don't know are all the freedom
towns that are in rural areas.
Speaker 3 (22:42):
Because a lot of them, due to.
Speaker 4 (22:46):
Of course systemic injustices, but also environmental concerns such as
climate disaster, they have been they're no longer in existent
on operating right. But to Texas Freedom Colonies Project has
done is to place make all of those places.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
Generally, a freedom colony.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
Has a limitation like a stone or something like that.
Speaker 4 (23:11):
Yes, sometimes they have a Texas Historical marker, but a
lot of times they're defined. They usually have a school,
They usually have a cemetery and the church. But let
me ask you this, because I know you grew up
in Fifth Ward, but where are your people from?
Speaker 3 (23:23):
I'm sure they't from the country or Louisiana.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
Right from Louisiana. Come on, I ain't gonna rough form
who I am now? Six in two brothers, we was
out there putting out some kids.
Speaker 4 (23:37):
So a lot of Youstonians actually have a similar story.
Their families are from East Texas or West Louisiana, and
freedom colonies are all throughout that region, so you probably
are more familiar with these places than you know.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
First of all, I don't want to you came, gave
sure to talk about dance. Now we've gotten into cultural
history and I'm zero in on this because I'll be
educated and I'm mad.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
I was getting mad.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Stay say when I don't know what I should know,
and it really tells me a lot about the education
system that we have in this world.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
I denies you.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
I believe important information and the fact that I and.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
I'm kind of saddened.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
I'm saddened by the information you're giving me because you know,
I'm just one person.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
But what can I do? You know?
Speaker 2 (24:30):
But I think that this mouthpiece that I've become in
money making conversations master class allows me to hopefully through curiosity,
people who are listening to this interview will not only contact.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
You about your Nia's Daughter's movement collective.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
But also about these freedom collectives that are out there
that nobody knows about.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
And I have to say that nobody knows, So please
send me that link because I'm a post it on
my social media on June team.
Speaker 4 (25:03):
Yes, I will definitely make sure you have that information.
But that is, you know, talking about dance to me
is talking about history. That's the whole purpose of why
we do this. Education is the core of why we
do this. We do it through arts, educational program and programming,
through the community, programming through the schools, and also performances.
And this is why. So this is actually what I
(25:26):
like to see happen. People learn a little bit more
about themselves, a little bit more about their surroundings by
engaging in.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
Just a teacher, that's all. You're a teacher. You're an educator.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
That's what you're doing.
Speaker 1 (25:38):
You're an educator.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
You know I'm teaching. Can't nobody stop you? Stacey? Your mama,
could you stop your daddy? Couldn't stop your huns. You
can't stop you. I can't stop you because just in
hearing you, I want to know more.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
I want to know more.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
I want to be a part of this opportunity. This Okay,
give us a schedule, let's go over the like miss out.
The JUNETIETHH event is this Thursday, talk to us about it.
Walk through the get us more exciting because now you
see Rashaun McDonald's all in.
Speaker 4 (26:09):
Come on, yes, okay, y'all get excited. So I want
you to come to Galvezton and we'll be in Galveston.
This called the Official June teenth Return, the Official June
Teams Return, presented by Nia's Dartist Movement Collab Movement Collective
in collaboration with NEA Cultural Center and the Elevated Experiences.
So you're gonna come on down to Galveston two TOWO
(26:30):
one seven. The Strand is the address and it's at
the Neo Cultural Center. We have two acts. In Act one,
there will be an opportunity to view the gallery space
all of the art that is in there will have
presentations there. And then we have Act two that starts
later on that evening. Nia's Darterists Movement Collective and the
(26:51):
Everlasting Vibes is a band that'll be playing live music
for us. It's a phenomenal show that we have put together.
And then we also have Shaye Davis who would be
joined as a singer. So we have some live music.
And not only live music, y'all, we have some original music.
Original music that was created specifically for us to dance
and to tell this beautiful Juneteenth story.
Speaker 3 (27:13):
So we want to see you out there.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
Right, I'm gonna change some station. Thank you for coming
on my show. First of all, you.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
Know you make me mad because.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
I'm gonna tell you.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
I remembering in college when I was I took my
degree is in mathematics, right, and my minders in sociology.
And I took a black sociology course, and if I
had to do it all over again, I would have
got my degree of sociology because it changed my life.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
It changed my perspective.
Speaker 2 (27:46):
It maybe realized how much information I didn't know about
the culture of that I was born into because the
information that they shared with me was is only a
one percent one percent.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
And so this interview angers me.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
Because I'm sitting here trying to say, how can I
share this story to so many people, so many thousands
of people? Because you're a blessing young lady. You are blessing.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
Do not stop.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
I mean, if it's a wall up, then you run
through that wall. Okay, And you have a friend in
Rashaan McDonald. Okay, I'm an injury that we can get
to make sure, my oldest sister, I'm a caller and
tell her about you.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
She's the Freedom Town. She's always doing things down there.
She's just like you.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
She's always sharing information, she always uplifted, she's always educating,
and she's a blessing.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
And as my oldest sister, Carolyn, but you are a blessing,
young lady.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
I'm so happy you contacted us and a lot us
the privilege of interviewing you.
Speaker 1 (28:55):
Thank you, Stacy Avay.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
Thank you, thank you so much. It's been a pleasure.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
This has been another edition of Moneymaking Conversation Masterclass hosted
by me Rushawn McDonald. Thank you to our guests on
the show today and thank you for listening to the
audience now. If you want to listen to any episode
I want to be a guest on the show, visit
Moneymakingconversations dot com. Our social media handle is money Making Conversation.
Join us next week and remember to always leave with
(29:23):
your gifts.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
Keep winning.
Hi, I'm Rashaan McDonald.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
I host this weekly Money Making Conversation Masterclass show. The
interviews and information that this show provides are for you
and everyone. It's time to start reading other people's success
stories and start living your own now. If you want
to be a guest on my show, Money Making Conversation
Master Class, please visit our website, Moneymaking Conversations dot com
and click the b a guest, butdon If you're an entrepreneur,
(00:24):
small business owner, influencer, motivational speaker, I've got a product.
I want you on my show, So let's get your
show started. My next guest is the founder and artistic
director of Nil's Daughter's Movement Collective, a professional dance company
committed to creating and supporting art and wellness initiatives through
(00:44):
the lens of Black women and girls. Stacey is the
author of two children's books and recipient of the twenty
twenty four Children's Publication Award from the National Association of
Multicultural Education. Please welcome to Money Making Conversation Master Last
Stacey Allen.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
How you doing, Stacey?
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Hello? Hello, thank you so much for having me. How
are you?
Speaker 2 (01:07):
I'm great, pretty good, I'm doing really good. Stacy telling,
is your background on dance? Why is dance importing to you?
Speaker 4 (01:17):
So I decided in about high school that I wanted
to study dance when I got to college, and at
the time, I had to say that it was more
of a hobby. But as I've matriculated through my dance
education and then ultimately became a dance educator, I realized
the storytelling power that dance had right and I understand
(01:37):
how specifically as people of African descent, dance and music
have always been critical in us being able to keep
our histories and tell our own stories.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
So that's why dance.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Now that where did you go to college? Yet?
Speaker 4 (01:53):
I did my undergraduate degree at sam Houston State University
and I got a degree in date And I always
say that I had very supportive parents, because a lot
of times, you know, more traditional families are less inclined
to support their children getting find arts degrees. But I'll
say that my parents were a little bit ahead of
(02:15):
their time. They supported me and getting that degree from
sam Houston, a bastional of arts and dance. And then
I went to graduate school at University of Houston Clear
Lake and received a master's and cross cultural studies where
I studied a lot of dance anthropology and did a
lot of other research on dance and music.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Let's talk about that because I think it's important because
a lot of people out of fear, don't follow their
dreams based on what people would think, or people try
to push you to what they think you should be,
and I think it's important that you are living the
life that you wanted to live. Talk about the impact
of having that support system, following your dreams and living
(02:53):
a life without fear.
Speaker 4 (02:56):
Thank you so much for asking that. I think that
that is really critical. When I believe that God puts
a purpose inside of us, and when we are able
to live out that purpose and have support, I think
that the sky is the limit.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
It has been super critical. My family still supports me.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
My dad transitioned about eleven years ago, and my mom
is still very supportive of all the work I do,
my husband, even my children.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
I have a strong village, and I can just.
Speaker 4 (03:28):
See how their support really helps to bring this art forward.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Let's talk about this station. Because the power of dance
of activism. Okay, you know, because your dance and engages
social injustice and political movement, and through dance talk about it.
You know, you are really interesting and and I gotta
appreciate you even more in this interview because sometimes you know,
(03:57):
people say dance and they all they see is just
the dance, but they don't understand the story that you're
telling what you're dance. Talk to us about that, because
this is not a normal interview for me, because it's
always it's always fun when I talk to people I've
never talked to and I've never talked to a person
like you. And along the way in this conversation, I'm
(04:19):
more and more engaged because it's like I thought it
was this, but I'm realizing there's so much more.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
So let's talk about dance as a power of activism.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
Yeah, so there's a long legacy of people who have
used their art as activism tools. You know, artists are
some of the forefronts of the people who led movements
like the civil rights movements. And clearly some of the
things that we're seeing right now come from a long
legacy of dance makers who are activists.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
And so my goal in the art that I create
with dance is education.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
Like we've talked about people uncovering things that they did
not know about themselves. People feeling embodied in their own
selves have an autonomy knowing that they can.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Realize the dreams that they have.
Speaker 4 (05:11):
One of the things I was really intentional about when
I wrote my children's books was explaining African American expressive
culture in the history of it.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
So the first book, A.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
Little Optimism Goes a Long Way teaches students about who
Catherine Dunham is. And so I wrote that book because
Catherine Dunham is a legendary dance maker anthropologists, and when
I was teaching in elementary school, I was teaching elementary
school dance in a public school. Often my students not
only did I know who she was, but there weren't
(05:44):
many educational materials to support me teaching who she was.
So I created that right. The same thing with my
second book, d is for Dance Dancing through the Diaspora
is a through z of different African diaspora dance styles
for each letter, and it's very much informed through my
(06:04):
research and my travels and what I have learned about
all the powerful styles of dance throughout the African diaspora.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
And so that is my activism is.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
Making sure that people are more educated about themselves, and
sometimes it comes in the shiny package of a performance,
and sometimes it becomes in a book form, sometimes it
becomes it comes out through film. And so that's truly
my activism is making sure we know who we are because,
(06:33):
like you said it, you make the groundwork by saying,
when you know who you are, you can start making
some different choices.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Now, stasiology you stone in. Okay, I'm from Houston, Texas.
Everybody knows that. Who listens to my partcast podcast. No,
I love Houston, Texas. Now I'm no dancer, but I've
seen artistic dance scene throughout the Black community. It always
appears at events, especially culture tru events.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Why is that the case?
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Because Black people love to dance and we're good at it.
I won't stop that. No.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
Like I was saying earlier, dance is a critical part
of our expression. Even when you think about our ancestors
that lived on the continent of Africa, dance is what
told the stories.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
The Grios used drum.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
And dance to be able to communicate the history from
one generation to the next.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
And so my goal is to keep up that legacy.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
Yes, if any of you have you have you all
seen the movie Centers and that powerful scene whenever.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
I don't know spoilers, I'm sorry if you haven't seen it.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Upler that scene, that dance scene. I saw Centers twice.
So definitely he used music, he used culture. All that
was what made that movie significant.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
Absolutely, and so that is our goal with the work
that we produce. A lot of our work, specifically when
Nils Darter's movie Collected is surrounding African American history in Texas.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Our first show.
Speaker 4 (08:11):
That we really put out that has been touring for
the last three years. It's called The fairy Tale Project,
and the fairy Tale Project is based on the love
story of Jim and Winnie Shankle, and those are two
founders of the Texas Freedom Colony, Shankleville.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
So I know you've been, you know, playing around with
me about.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
Not being from Houston, being from Houston, being from a
different part of Houston. But did you know that in
Texas alone that there are over five hundred freedom colonies.
A freedom colony is defined as a historically significant community
where essentially, from emancipation through the Great Depression, black people
started their own towns, and a lot of those towns
(08:50):
are in rural Texas.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
A lot of them are in rural East.
Speaker 4 (08:53):
Texas and there's a significant amount in Central Texas.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
And so what we've been able.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
To do with Dan is tell the story of these
freedom colonies, specifically Shankoville. We have a performance that we
premiere at Discovery Green in twenty twenty two, but we've
been touring it over the last three years and it's
about that. And then from there we have created even
more work about African American history in Texas. We spent
(09:21):
a significant amount of time in Krockett. Crockett is a
small town kind of situated between Houston and Dallas, and
the women who created the Mary Allen Seminary, which was
the first colored women's college in the area. So our
goal with Dance is essentially to carry that legacy that
our ancestors have done and to tell our stories through movement.
(09:42):
And it has been a beautiful experience when we are
able to share history through movement.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Just yesterday, we had the beautiful.
Speaker 4 (09:53):
Opportunity to perform this piece the fairy Tale Project at
the Juvenile.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
Justice Detensions Center.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
So we had a group of about fifteen young women
who are you know, just dis impacted at the moment
and they dance with us, We get a workshop with them,
We talk to them about black history, We talk to
them about Jung teenths. We talked to them about all
these things, and we did the show inside of their facility.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
So we really find this.
Speaker 4 (10:23):
Work not only fun and engaging, but also critically important.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
For empowering people because sometimes if you don't know your history,
then you don't know your history. And when I say that,
because of the fact that you don't know the relevancy
of you when you step out of your house, the
culture that you bring, the tone of precentation that you
should be presenting yourself of if you realize you are
from king you are from Queens, you are from the Motherland. Now,
(10:53):
let's talk about the importance of Juneteenth, Okay, because I'm
talking to a true culture, a true authority, authority of
Texas black history.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
Tell us about the significance of June teenth, because.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
Now it's national, But you and I both know Texas
was way ahead of Juneteenth before it went national. Talk
to me station, So that's something we can agree on.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
As Texas Natives.
Speaker 4 (11:18):
We know that June teen started in Galiston, right, not
too farward either. One of us grew up, and we
spent a lot of time, and so I think it's
this is one hundred and sixtieth year of June teenth.
I think that it is critical for us to make
that pilgrimage, make that return. Not only is Galveston the
(11:39):
home of juneteenth, Galveston is the largest port that received
our ancestors west of the Mississippi.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
Right.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
So, just like I got the chance to take a beautiful.
Speaker 4 (11:53):
Trip to Senegal last summer, and I spent time in
Gory Island, where a lot of the slaves castles was
and as you can imagine, that was an emotional and
spiritual transformative experience.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
And what it really made me think.
Speaker 4 (12:07):
About as I came back home, it was like, you know,
just as these places in Senegal and Ghana our slave
ports where our ancestors were taken, places like Galvaston and
Charleston are places where they were receiving, and so they
both served as sacred and ground, sacred grounds that we
should be commemorating. And so I think this is the time,
(12:31):
during all the things that are occurring, for such a
time as this is a time to make that pilgrimage
back to Galveston Let's talk.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
About the stations.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
I'm talking to Stacey Allen, the founder and artistic director
of Nia's Daughter's Movement Movement Collective. Let's talk about that
emotional moment, because I've been there. You know, when you
go to places where you read about in the book,
you read it.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
And then you see it, You see in disbelief the conditions.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
I think that's what grabs you the most and you realize, Okay,
they went across the ocean and this was the conditions.
Talk about that emotional moment you did, that you had
and what was your takeaway from the experience when you
went over there.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
Step So you have.
Speaker 4 (13:19):
To take a ship like a boat, a ferry if
you will, to get to Gory Island, right because it's
not on the mainland. So even as soon as you
step onto this ship, for me, I have to have
full embodied experience. I could feel my gut dropped, like,
oh this, what if we get Like in many ways
(13:39):
I kind of went into a mini panic, like what
if we get stuck here?
Speaker 3 (13:42):
What happens? And then when we.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
Arrived there, what felt in addition to like the emotional
pull that understanding what our ancestors went through in that
Middle Passage, it was also coming to terms with the.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Hustle and bustle of Gorey Island.
Speaker 4 (14:00):
And in many ways, Gorey Island is a tourist attraction,
so like making sense of that in your mind, like,
you know, this is something that happened to our ancestors,
but this land has also been repurposed, if you will,
utilized for a different purpose. And how do you make
sense of that? And it's actually grappling with that is
(14:22):
what I had to make sense of. Galveston galvesin is
a tourist attraction. People come to Galveston for you know,
recreation and also like but this is also a slave port.
It's been an interesting emotional journey. I don't have all
the answers yet because I have been engaged in.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
Doing several returns.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
In twenty twenty four, not only did I go to Senegal,
but I also went to East Texas for the first
time since COVID. That's where my maternal family is from.
They're from a Freedom colony in Panola County, East Texas.
And then I also went to Mississippi, where my dad's
family is from.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Arts as well, and.
Speaker 4 (15:02):
They sew at a church called the Aki Chapel that
which is still in existence. So grappling with all those histories,
my own personal family history, that wasn't my first time
on the African continent, but that was my first time
in West Africa, which we understand that's where specifically our
ancestors are from. And then coming back to Texas and
(15:22):
being like, oh, a lot of this area we live
on our plantations. Like, grappling with all of that has
been definitely emotional journey, but I have been able to
use that in the art that I create and help
people to start thinking about it, because, like you said,
when you don't know where you come from, it's hard
to know where you're going. And so just helping people
(15:43):
to identify all these sacred grounds, all these migration stories
that our people have been through, has been critical in
helping them to reshape and redefine their own identity.
Speaker 5 (15:58):
Please don't go anywhere. Be right back with more Money
Making Conversations Masterclass. Welcome back to the Money Making Conversations
Masterclass hosted by Rashaan McDonald.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Stacy, you have figure that Stacey Allen Nia's Daughter Movement collective.
You have the June Teeth event coming up right, talk
to me about that.
Speaker 4 (16:26):
Yes, So we keep talking about return right, retire, return, return,
and I am asking people to return to Galliston.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Galveston is just south of Houston, Texas, like fifty five
miles and great tourist attacks and they do Marti Garl
down there, they do Juneteenth, like she said, started there
and you know, it really is an amazing level of participation.
So I wanted to give them a sense of the geography.
But also, do you travel outside of Texas for your
(16:58):
shows or have you all about the process of traveling
and doing your presentations Stacey?
Speaker 4 (17:05):
Yes, So our first strategic goal was to particularly travel
to small towns in Texas, believe it or not, So yes,
we intentionally we will be traveling outside of the state
very very soon. But step one was travel to small towns.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
Right.
Speaker 4 (17:19):
So you talked about how you've seen so much beautiful
dance in the greater Houston area.
Speaker 3 (17:25):
We all know, for good, bad and the ugly.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
Houston is becoming a well known metropolitan city for young
African American professionals. And so our goal was to really
think about people who live in rural places who may
not have access to a theater district or other companies
coming on tour.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
So we started off. We've done small towns.
Speaker 4 (17:47):
If anybody out there is listening familiar with Brandham or.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
College Station or Kyle Texas and Crocket.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
She made a lot of small towns in Texas by
the way, ladies and joke, she's so cuntry, Jesus, just.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
Start just throwing out some names, like y'all know. But
first of all, how they get in touch with you?
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Because you're gonna start throwing our names and small town
at least they need to know how.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
To get in touch with you.
Speaker 4 (18:11):
Telling Stacey, the best way to get in touch with
us is through our website www.
Speaker 3 (18:17):
Dot Nia's darteris n I A S.
Speaker 4 (18:19):
Darters felt traditionally dot com and to sign up what
I on our email is. We also are on social
media on Instagram at Nia's Starters and on.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
Facebook at Nia's Darters. That's the best way.
Speaker 4 (18:32):
But I will tell you we do have some tour
dates coming up in the South very very soon that
we'll be announced when we.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
Get to the tour days. Because the interview is not over,
Let's go to the Jeweteeth event. Okayay, that's happening.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
What time does it start in Galveston, Texas June nineteenth,
which is this Thursday.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
Yes, so Galveston, Texas. It starts at four pm. We
are partnering with the Nia Cultural Center, which is a
black art g and Galveston is on the strand to
two one seven the strand and tickets can be found
at eventowar dot com.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
Okay, cool, Now why you're doing that event down there?
Speaker 2 (19:09):
You know you say you First of all, I'm impressed
with your your passion.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
Can I say that your passion?
Speaker 2 (19:16):
Because you know, I'm an emotional person and I think
that a lot of people who live live live their
life are really engaged.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
In what they do.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
You know, they just you know, they go get a
job it pays well or that's the only job they
can get, and they just wake up not happy. I
get the impression they say, you're a happy person. You
really are at a point in your life where you're
about to change the world with information and autistic direction
to your dance.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
Correct.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
Yes, thank you better speak life and to me, I
appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
Yes, No, I got you because you know, because your
knowledge when you you know, when I hear people talk
emotionally about something that I want to come see what
you're doing.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
I want to see your presentation.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
I want to see because to me, I immediately went, Okay,
she needs to do a whole put on her website
all those five hundred freedom cities she was talking about
in Texas. I said, that seems like you know that
as big to me as Harry tumas you know underground Railroad.
(20:19):
Because the fact that if we don't know, we living
in the world today where people are tearing down information
about our community, denying us our past, so that means
we may not have our history.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
So when I heard you say that, I went.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
Okay, now I got an asd station. What is she
doing with that? What is she doing with that information?
And she put that information on the website if she
being the ultimate storyteller about black history in Texas, because
that's what I see you becoming, Stacy.
Speaker 3 (20:47):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (20:48):
So I do want to say that the Texas Freedom
Colonies Project is a project led by is the scholarship
of doctor Andrea Roberts. And there is a website is
www dot Texas Freedom Colonies Project and the site is
everything you just said.
Speaker 3 (21:04):
It has an at list.
Speaker 4 (21:05):
You go into the site, there's a map, you can
type in by county and you can find those freedom
colonies if you are from those freedom colonies. You can
also input oral history. And there's another side of the
portal that you know that are only for descendants. And
there's lots of work that has come out of that project.
And I am so thankful to be able to work
(21:25):
with the Texas Freedom Colonies Project through artistic expression to
help evangelize if you will, this large body of scholarship.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Im Tensing Station born to raise Houston, Texas knowledgeable God
degree in math. Okay, considered one of the leaders and
pillars of Houston.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Never heard of it? That angers me.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
What do we have to do to get the word
out as well as promote the fact that you are
out there with your dance, Nia's Daughter's Movement Collective as
well as just Texas a freedoms.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
Yes, the Texas Freedom Colonies Project.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
So let me tell you something because I know we
was joking around about being from Houston.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
I know you've heard of Freedman's Town and fourth Ward.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
The oldest sister works over there.
Speaker 2 (22:15):
She constantly wants me to participate in different fundraising events.
Speaker 4 (22:18):
Yes, yes, And then you also probably have heard about Independence.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
Heights that happened.
Speaker 4 (22:24):
Okay, okay, but Freemanstown is the one that most people have.
You know, Dallas also has a Freeman's Town. So what
has happened is that most people are more familiar with
the freedom towns that are in a major metropolitan area.
The part that people don't know are all the freedom
towns that are in rural areas.
Speaker 3 (22:42):
Because a lot of them, due to.
Speaker 4 (22:46):
Of course systemic injustices, but also environmental concerns such as
climate disaster, they have been they're no longer in existent
on operating right. But to Texas Freedom Colonies Project has
done is to place make all of those places.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
Generally, a freedom colony.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
Has a limitation like a stone or something like that.
Speaker 4 (23:11):
Yes, sometimes they have a Texas Historical marker, but a
lot of times they're defined. They usually have a school,
They usually have a cemetery and the church. But let
me ask you this, because I know you grew up
in Fifth Ward, but where are your people from?
Speaker 3 (23:23):
I'm sure they't from the country or Louisiana.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
Right from Louisiana. Come on, I ain't gonna rough form
who I am now? Six in two brothers, we was
out there putting out some kids.
Speaker 4 (23:37):
So a lot of Youstonians actually have a similar story.
Their families are from East Texas or West Louisiana, and
freedom colonies are all throughout that region, so you probably
are more familiar with these places than you know.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
First of all, I don't want to you came, gave
sure to talk about dance. Now we've gotten into cultural
history and I'm zero in on this because I'll be
educated and I'm mad.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
I was getting mad.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Stay say when I don't know what I should know,
and it really tells me a lot about the education
system that we have in this world.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
I denies you.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
I believe important information and the fact that I and.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
I'm kind of saddened.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
I'm saddened by the information you're giving me because you know,
I'm just one person.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
But what can I do? You know?
Speaker 2 (24:30):
But I think that this mouthpiece that I've become in
money making conversations master class allows me to hopefully through curiosity,
people who are listening to this interview will not only contact.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
You about your Nia's Daughter's movement collective.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
But also about these freedom collectives that are out there
that nobody knows about.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
And I have to say that nobody knows, So please
send me that link because I'm a post it on
my social media on June team.
Speaker 4 (25:03):
Yes, I will definitely make sure you have that information.
But that is, you know, talking about dance to me
is talking about history. That's the whole purpose of why
we do this. Education is the core of why we
do this. We do it through arts, educational program and programming,
through the community, programming through the schools, and also performances.
And this is why. So this is actually what I
(25:26):
like to see happen. People learn a little bit more
about themselves, a little bit more about their surroundings by
engaging in.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
Just a teacher, that's all. You're a teacher. You're an educator.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
That's what you're doing.
Speaker 1 (25:38):
You're an educator.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
You know I'm teaching. Can't nobody stop you? Stacey? Your mama,
could you stop your daddy? Couldn't stop your huns. You
can't stop you. I can't stop you because just in
hearing you, I want to know more.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
I want to know more.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
I want to be a part of this opportunity. This Okay,
give us a schedule, let's go over the like miss out.
The JUNETIETHH event is this Thursday, talk to us about it.
Walk through the get us more exciting because now you
see Rashaun McDonald's all in.
Speaker 4 (26:09):
Come on, yes, okay, y'all get excited. So I want
you to come to Galvezton and we'll be in Galveston.
This called the Official June teenth Return, the Official June
Teams Return, presented by Nia's Dartist Movement Collab Movement Collective
in collaboration with NEA Cultural Center and the Elevated Experiences.
So you're gonna come on down to Galveston two TOWO
(26:30):
one seven. The Strand is the address and it's at
the Neo Cultural Center. We have two acts. In Act one,
there will be an opportunity to view the gallery space
all of the art that is in there will have
presentations there. And then we have Act two that starts
later on that evening. Nia's Darterists Movement Collective and the
(26:51):
Everlasting Vibes is a band that'll be playing live music
for us. It's a phenomenal show that we have put together.
And then we also have Shaye Davis who would be
joined as a singer. So we have some live music.
And not only live music, y'all, we have some original music.
Original music that was created specifically for us to dance
and to tell this beautiful Juneteenth story.
Speaker 3 (27:13):
So we want to see you out there.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
Right, I'm gonna change some station. Thank you for coming
on my show. First of all, you.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
Know you make me mad because.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
I'm gonna tell you.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
I remembering in college when I was I took my
degree is in mathematics, right, and my minders in sociology.
And I took a black sociology course, and if I
had to do it all over again, I would have
got my degree of sociology because it changed my life.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
It changed my perspective.
Speaker 2 (27:46):
It maybe realized how much information I didn't know about
the culture of that I was born into because the
information that they shared with me was is only a
one percent one percent.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
And so this interview angers me.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
Because I'm sitting here trying to say, how can I
share this story to so many people, so many thousands
of people? Because you're a blessing young lady. You are blessing.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
Do not stop.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
I mean, if it's a wall up, then you run
through that wall. Okay, And you have a friend in
Rashaan McDonald. Okay, I'm an injury that we can get
to make sure, my oldest sister, I'm a caller and
tell her about you.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
She's the Freedom Town. She's always doing things down there.
She's just like you.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
She's always sharing information, she always uplifted, she's always educating,
and she's a blessing.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
And as my oldest sister, Carolyn, but you are a blessing,
young lady.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
I'm so happy you contacted us and a lot us
the privilege of interviewing you.
Speaker 1 (28:55):
Thank you, Stacy Avay.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
Thank you, thank you so much. It's been a pleasure.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
This has been another edition of Moneymaking Conversation Masterclass hosted
by me Rushawn McDonald. Thank you to our guests on
the show today and thank you for listening to the
audience now. If you want to listen to any episode
I want to be a guest on the show, visit
Moneymakingconversations dot com. Our social media handle is money Making Conversation.
Join us next week and remember to always leave with
(29:23):
your gifts.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
Keep winning.
The Steve Harvey Morning Show News
Hosts And Creators
Steve Harvey
Shirley Strawberry
Thomas "Nephew Tommy" Miles
Carla Ferrell
Kier "Junior" Spates
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.